I Guess You're Not Kidding (CROSSOVER)
by katethepinkarrow
Summary: Eliza was a normal college student with a not-so-tiny obsession with her favorite TV show, Arrow. When she is transported into the Flarrow-verse, she becomes part of a world and story she'd believed only existed on a screen. How will her presence change things? How will her favorite characters react to meeting their fan? Crossover edition of my Arrow fic "You've Got to Be Kidding"
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! No this is not a new story…it is the same story but located in a different place. I realized as I wrote the next few chapters that the Flash characters are much more important than I'd originally planned for so… CROSSOVER VERSION! This is still "Are You Kidding?" if you've already read that version in the Arrow page. If you have read it than just skip all of this because it's nothing you haven't read already. For those of you who have just discovered the story, then welcome and I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 1

"NO!" I exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing?! Chase after her and tell her how much you love her you moron!"

My roommate sighed obnoxiously. "Eliza, calm down. It's a TV show. And isn't that a rerun? You already knew that was going to happen."

I glared at her. "It's not _a_ TV show. It's _the_ TV show. This is _Arrow_. You know, my favorite and quite possibly the best show ever made. And just because I've seen it already doesn't mean it hurts any less when Oliver and Felicity don't realize how perfect they are for each other."

This was a common argument between us. I would freak out over the endless plot twists _Arrow_ had to offer and Anna would complain about me being an antisocial freak. I didn't hate her. But I didn't love her either.

"Newsflash, just because you're into comic book shit doesn't mean the rest of the world is," Anna said nasally. Picture your stereotypical bitchy sorority chick and that's Anna in a nutshell.

I packed up my laptop. "Fine. Then I'll just watch it at the Lounge." The Lounge was a café all the way across campus but the coffee and free Wi-Fi were worth the long walk. Plus, it was past six so everyone would be in the dining hall and the café would be relatively empty.

I grabbed my favorite denim jacket and put it on over my floral top. The weather surprisingly warm, as least warm for upstate New York, and with my trusty laptop tucked into my messenger bag, I made my way to the freedom of judgment-free _Arrow_ binging.

I was almost there when I saw something. A weird red streak flew past me. _Okay. Either I've been watching too much _Flash_ or I'm going crazy_. Just as I shook off the strange vibe I saw it again. A red streak came right at me.

Just before it would have hit me it dodged to the left of me and started circling around me over and over again until I was surrounded by a circle of red light. I started screaming. I hoped someone could see what was happening and even if they couldn't stop it, at least someone would know what happened to me. Not that anyone was around to care or even notice.

The light got brighter and brighter and the wind within the circle made it hard to breathe. I dropped my bag as I gasped for air. Through my oxygen deprived haze I swear I could make out a figure of a man inside the streak.

"Please." I gasp. "What are you doing to me?"

The figure didn't answer but seemed to run even faster. Spots dotted my vision as I struggled to breathe. As I blacked out I couldn't help but wonder if this was what Barry Allen's mother felt as she died.

….

I woke up dazed… and in an alley. "What the hell was that?" I wondered as I made my way (admittedly wobbly) onto my feet. "And what the hell am I doing here?" I couldn't remember any gross alleys on campus so I must have traveled at least into the city surrounding it.

"I was just asking myself the same question, sweet thang."

I spun to see three thugs blocking the entrance into the alley, and with a wall to my back and no doors in sight, I was successfully trapped. Fantastic.

"Uhh… Hi" I said shakily, hoping it came out a lot stronger than it felt. "Sorry, am I trespassing? I get it, it's your alley I'll just get out of your way." I try to inch my way past them but they weren't having it. The one what had talked to me, most likely their leader, grabbed me by my throat and slammed me into the wall, hitting my head painfully on brick. "Um ow? Any manners for a lady?"

"Shut up, slut," one of Lead Thug's friends said, leering over his shoulder.

Lead Thug punched me in the face, probably giving me a black eye. "Don't you wanna stay with us?" he asked, smiling creepily at me. "Stay with us. We don't bite…much."

"No thank you," I managed to choke out, as Lead Thug was still holding my throat pretty tightly. "Nothing against you guys, but I'd much rather go home and hide underneath some blankets for….oh…just the rest of my life."

Lead Thug used the hold on my throat to pull me back and slam me back against the wall, even harder. Black spots started dotting my vision. I was honestly surprised I hadn't passed out yet. "Don't talk."

"What's a pretty thing like you doing out here all by your lonesome anyway?" Leering Guy said.

"Yeah," the third added. "Don't you know not to come to the Glades by yourself?" Wait, Glades? As in…?

I didn't have time to finish the thought before Lead Thug, apparently sick of the subtle threatening, reached his free hand to my hip and played with the hem of my shirt, dipping his hand underneath to touch his cold fingertips to my skin.

I whimpered like the whiny teenage girl I never wanted to be. "Please, _please_ don't," I whispered, trying to move my hip away. "My roommate! She'll be looking for me. She might have even called the police!" There was no way Anna was looking for me but these guys didn't need to know that.

"Then she can join the action." He reached further up my shirt.

I couldn't help it. I screamed as loud as I could with him gripping my throat. He let go long enough to punch me twice, first to my face then to my gut. I dropped to my knees and he kicked my stomach, knocking me to the ground. He kicked me a few more times while I was on the ground growled, "Now you've done it, bitch." He straddled me and tore at my shirt, slapping me when I tried to push him off. His friends held my arms to the ground and watched on eagerly.

I cried and closed my eyes, prepared for the inevitable but not willing to watch. I couldn't help but think how no one even knew I was missing, so no one would be looking for me. I was about to be raped, robbed and probably killed and no one would even realize.

As I cried and pleaded for them to stop I prayed, something I hadn't done in a long time. I promised God that I would try harder, that I wouldn't close myself from the world and I would make real friends if I could just survive this.

"Hey!" I heard another, strangely familiar, voice shout. My eyes flew open to see my savior…Roy Harper in his Arsenal suit. "Get the hell off of her!" I started squirming again.

That head injury must have been worse than I thought if I'm hallucinating a red leather clad hero saving me.

"Fuck off," Lead Thug said, focusing on holding me down but motioning for his goons to get rid of Arsenal. "You're outnumbered, asshole. Just move along."

"I might be outnumbered, but I'm not alone." Arsenal stepped aside to reveal Black Canary.

"Black Canary? Holy shit," I breathe. This was officially the coolest hallucination ever.

"Shut the hell up, bitch." Tough Guy snarls, slapping me again, this time hard enough that the black spots returned and wouldn't go away.

Through my half-conscious haze I saw Arsenal step toward me, clearly tense and angry. "I'm only going to say this one more time. Get. Off. Of. Her."

"Fuck. Off." Lead Thug mocked.

"I warned you." If I'd blinked I would have missed it because in a fraction of a second Arsenal had pulled an arrow from his quiver and shot it into Lead Thug's shoulder. Lead Thug screamed and fell off of me, clutching at his shoulder. I scrambled to get away, though it was hard to move without seeing the spots and getting nauseous. I vaguely noticed him and his friends get up and run.

"Hey, are you okay?" Roy crouched down to my level. He reached for my face, looking over my wounds. He looked concerned but also furious.

"But…you're not real," I mumbled, still dazed but convinced this was an elaborate dream. Maybe my brain was dealing with the trauma with a hallucination of being rescued. I was a Psych major, I'd heard of crazier delusions.

"That head injury is pretty bad, Arsenal," Laurel said. "We should get her to a hospital."

"No!" I tried to sit up, only to immediately fall onto Roy when I was hit by a wave of dizziness. "Please, no hospitals."

"Ok, no hospitals." Roy promised. "Where are you staying? Is there someone who can take care of you?"

My head spun as I tried to answer but couldn't get the words out. Despite my fight to stay awake, I was passing out for the second time that night. All I managed to get out was a whisper. "Please, Roy."

Then I blacked out. Again.

…..

"How did you…?" Roy looked at the girl in his arms with wide eyes. Then shook his head, and went back to trying to wake her. "Hey, hey stay with me. Dammit."

"Is she…?" Laurel couldn't seem to get the words out. She looked around for more of Brick's men as a distraction.

"She just unconscious." Roy picked her up bridal style. "We're going to have to take her to the Arrow Cave."

"What?" Laurel turned to him, shocked. "We can't bring her there. We don't even know who she is and you want to bring her to our base of operations?"

"She needs help," Roy said simply. "We can't take her to a hospital, we don't know where she lives and there are medical supplies at the foundry. We can take care of her there." Roy started walking toward Verdant. He was done arguing. He would take care of this strange girl that somehow knew his name, with or without Laurel's blessing. The Arrow Cave would be his best option but if she, Digg and Felicity were really against it he would figure out something else.

"How do you know if we can trust her?"

Roy looked down at the girl in his arms. "I just do."

Laurel sighed, but followed Roy grumbling "I still say we should just take her to a hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry if this new version is confusing for anyone! Again, this is the same story as "Are You Kidding" on my Arrow page but because the Flash characters are so important to Eliza's development I decided to put the same story on the crossover page. New chapter on both versions in a couple of days, I promise.**

Chapter 2

I woke up in a dark place. It least it seemed dark until I realized I was blindfolded. I tried to reach for it but my hands were tied to the cold table underneath me, as were my feet. My heart raced and I could feel my breathing become heavy and uneven. All I could think of was those men in the alley and was terrified that they had returned for me.

"Hey, hey calm down, Flowers," a familiar voice said soothingly. I could feel his hand on my shoulder, softly rubbing small circles with his thumb. "You're safe here."

"Then why can't I move?" I breathed out shakily.

"I'm sorry about that," the voice sighed. "It was my friend's idea. They didn't want you to come here so the blindfold was a compromise. That way you can't give away our location."

"Or identities" a female voice added. "Cause that would suck."

It was then that I recognized the voices. No fudging was that Roy and Felicity were here unless… Holy crap. I was in Starling City? The entirety of last night came flooding back, walking to the Lounge, running into those guys in the alley and being rescued by Arsenal and Black Canary. So last night wasn't a hallucination then? Because unless the _Arrow_ cast was into some freaky shit this was actually Starling, not the set of Starling. Although I should be freaking out at the fact that I had apparently traveled to another dimension, I couldn't help but feel relieved. Even if these people didn't know me, I knew them and I knew that they wouldn't hurt me. And at least I knew where I was.

"I'm in the Arrow Cave, aren't I?" I asked, relaxing a bit into the cold table. "Underneath Verdant?"

Roy's hand on my shoulder froze. "How did you know that?"

"It's kind of a long story, Roy."

He lifted his hand off of my shoulder completely. "How do you know my name? I could've sworn I heard you say my name in the alley, too, but I thought I'd imagined it."

"I told you. It's a long story. A long story that would be much easier if I could see. And you know…move." I knew it would take some convincing to get them to believe me but they would eventually. I knew too much for them to just let me go, but they wouldn't hurt me either. Unless Oliver was around. Oliver wouldn't kill me but I knew he'd come with a clever, probably unpleasant way to keep me quiet, especially to protect his team. "I know who all of you are already. Felicity Smoak, John Diggle… Laurel Lance has joined by know hasn't she? Yeah she has, she was there in the alley in the Black Canary getup. The suit looks badass, by the way. And Oliver Queen, of course. Who could forget the Arrow?"

It was silent for a few seconds. Then I was momentarily blinded when the blindfold was ripped off of my face. I shook it off and looked around the room, stunned. I was actually in the Arrow cave. And it was freaking awesome.

"This is so much cooler in person."

"Who are you and how do you know us?" Digg stood next to me, looking incredibly intimidating with his arms crossed and glaring down at me. "Are you a stalker? How long have you been watching us?"

I sighed. Right to the point then. I looked behind Diggle to see Felicity in her desk chair, she seemed confused and a bit worried and Laurel next to her looking furious. Roy was sitting on the other side of me. He also looked confused but his hand was twitching on the table next to my arm, as if he wanted to reach for me but felt conflicted. I turned back to Diggle. "I'm no Carrie Cutter. That girl was insane. Like actually crazy. I'm allowed to say that, I'm a Psych major." Digg rolled his eyes. "You're not going to believe me at first, I barely believe it myself, but you need to know that I will never lie to you guys." Diggle nodded for me to continue. I sighed again. "I'm from another dimension. A dimension where you guys are characters in a TV show based off of comic books. My favorite TV show, actually."

Diggle rolled his eyes again and shook his head. "You're insane."

"It's true." I insisted. "I just spent a solid 40 hours marathoning this show to get ready for this week's episode. I know stuff." I narrowed my eyes at Digg. "Wait, where are we in the show's timeline? Did I jump back a couple of episodes? Because if those were Brick's men that attacked me then I'm ahead of you guys. Is Oliver back yet?" I looked around. "I'm assuming he's not because he'd be here interrogating me with you."

Everyone in the room simultaneously flinched or tensed when I mentioned Oliver. Then Felicity stood. "What do you know about Oliver?" She asked, stepping toward me. "Is he alive?"

"Of course he is. The show is called _Arrow_. They're not going to kill off the main character, at least not permanently. I thought that the writers would try to milk the whole 'we killed off our main character' thing for a lot longer though. He comes back fairly soon. Within a few weeks."

Felicity sighed and then smiled. I could practically feel her relief. "So he won then? He killed Ra's al Ghul?"

"No," I said bluntly. "He lost. Pretty gruesomely actually. But he survived and is secretly being cared for by some old friends from Hong Kong."

Felicity's head tilted a bit, confused. "How did you know about Hong Kong? I didn't think Oliver told anyone else about while he was…away. And how is he alive if he didn't win?"

"Well when you're shish-kabobed with a sword and thrown off a cliff, people tend to assume that you're dead. But we all know that Oliver Queen isn't the easiest person to kill." I tried to explain everything I could without giving too much away. I needed to prove myself, but I also didn't want to screw up any timey-wimey stuff. I'd seen enough _Doctor Who_ to be wary of time travel. "And I know about Hong Kong because I saw it. Or at least some of it. I saw a lot of Oliver's time on Lian Yu too. Flashbacks are a big part of the show."

The others were still silent and processing but Felicity jumped right back into asking me questions. "If you did travel from another dimension…how? How is that even possible?"

This I didn't know. "I'm not sure. One minute I'm walking to a café to watch _Arrow_ in peace and the next…" I gasped in realization. "How could I be so _stupid_?"

"What?" Roy asked, apparently done processing. He slowly got to his feet.

"The streak! There was a red streak that started running circles around me until I couldn't breathe and I blacked out. I woke up in that alley you guys found me in."

"A streak?" Digg questioned, looking pointedly at Felicity. "Maybe you should make a call to Central City."

"It makes sense." I insisted. "Barry can time travel and travel to different dimensions in the comic books. Or so I've heard. I've never actually read the comics but I've been wanting to for a while to really understand this world better but I just haven't-"

"Flowers, you can stop now," Roy chuckled and reached to untie my hands. "You're almost as bad as Felicity with the rambling."

"Hey!" Felicity and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and grinned.

As soon as I was loose I sat up, legs crossed and I started rubbing at the red welts on my wrists. Digg must have tied them, I didn't think Roy would have made them that tight. "And why Flowers?" I asked. "You called me that before, too."

"Your shirt," Roy lifted his chin toward it. "You've got flowers on your shirt and you passed out before you could tell us your name so it was either 'Flowers' or 'That Unconscious Chick.'"

I laughed. "Well you weren't that far off. My name's Eliza. Eliza Rose."

Roy held out his hand. "Nice to meet you Eliza Rose."

I shook it. "Nice to meet you, too, Roy Harper."

He grinned and shook his head. "It's gonna be hard to get used to that."

"Get used to what?"

His smile dimmed a bit. "To someone who already knows everything about me."

I gave him a reassuring smile. "If it helps, I don't know _everything_ about you. Only pretty much everything after you met Thea. Your background is very mysterious."

"Then what do you know?" Digg said behind me, making me jump. "What do you know about us?"

I shrugged. "I'm sure I don't know everything. The show would be boring if they added details of daily life stuff. Who wants to watch a show of the Arrow reading his mail or eating dinner? Too dull. So I basically know all the highlights of your lives helping Oliver. The show began when Oliver returned from the island and each of you are introduced when you become a part of his life after that."

"What kind of highlights?" Diggle still seemed wary of me.

"Highlights like the Undertaking, Slade Wilson's siege of the city, anything that's important to Oliver's story and building his character."

"Prove it," Digg challenged. "Almost everything you've said so far could be found through research and stalking. Tell us something you could only know if you'd actually seen it on a television show."

"Easy," I said, swinging my legs over the side of the table. I stood up slowly, still a bit dizzy from my head wound. I stepped up to Diggle. "Your name is John Diggle, Oliver told you he was the Arrow after Deadshot, aka Floyd Lawton, shot you. He offered you a partnership and you turned him down, calling him a murderer. You only agreed later on so you could protect the city and help Oliver from losing his humanity." Digg didn't look impressed. "You're the one you encouraged Oliver to ask out Felicity." Now he looked interested. Felicity looked over, surprised. "He gave you a silver necklace he made himself for your daughter, Sara. It was made out of arrowheads because he couldn't afford to buy something and arrows are the only thing he knows how to make. He talked about how glad he was that you were going to have a family with Lyla because he was-well, he still is, really-convinced that he couldn't have that. You told him he could and basically told him to man up and ask out Felicity already because the only person he was fooling was himself." I finally took a breath.

Digg looked shocked. It was pretty funny to see him like that. I would have laughed if I wasn't so determined to prove myself. I turned to my next target. "Laurel Lance," I started. "When Sara died all you could think about was that stuffed shark that Sara got from the Starling Aquarium, because every time something bad happened you would find her with it and after she died you just wanted to put it in her arms. You started wearing Sara's jacket when you needed to do something that _you_ didn't have the confidence to do but _she_ did, and you donned the Black Canary identity to honor her memory and protect the city the way she can't anymore." I stopped, seeing the tears in her eyes. I stepped closer to her and gently put a hand on her arm. "She'd be so proud of you for what you're doing. She was awesome…funny, brave, and sweet at times but also a total badass." Laurel softly chuckled. "Everyone who saw the episode went nuts when she died. They were either in tears or totally pissed at the writers and were plotting all the ways to kill whoever did it to her. Everyone loved her."

Laurel smiled through her tears. "Thank you."

I grinned. "You're welcome." I turned to the rest of the group. "Now who wants to go next?"

"I think you've made your point, Flowers" Roy said, looking a bit nervous. "I definitely believe that you somehow know things about us that no one else knows, but how did this happen?"

"Good question," Felicity chimed in. "I've read theories about alternate dimensions and I know you mentioned Barry, but can he really travel to different dimensions? What kind of speed would he have to reach for that to be possible?"  
I shrugged and felt a little guilty that I hadn't actually read the comics because then I'd know so much more about this stuff. "Honestly, I don't know the logistics. It never happened on the show and I only heard it mentioned about the comics. And even then it might not have been Barry because in the comics there are a bunch of different Flashes even though there's just one on the show. Unless you count the Reverse Flash but I really don't count him considering he's evil and all." I paused and turned to Roy. "I'm rambling again, aren't I?" He nodded. "Sorry. But the facts are that I was in a world where you guys were characters, I see a red streak that closely resembles the Flash at full speed, and now I'm here. Do you have any better ideas on how I got here?"

Felicity sighed. "Well I guess Barry's our only lead. I'll call S.T.A.R. Labs."

I stepped toward Roy and whispered "While she's calling, where's the bathroom?"

Roy chuckled and pointed out the door.

"Thanks."

….

"And you're sure you haven't been to any alternate dimensions lately?" I heard Felicity ask as I entered the room.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I would have remembered that," a different voice answered.

I practically squealed. "Is that them?" I asked, running over to the computer where Felicity was videochatting with S.T.A.R. Labs. On the screen was Barry. Caitlin and Cisco were in the background, busy with something on their own devices. "Hi guys! Your show, though admittedly not as exciting as _Arrow_, is so much more fun."

"You weren't kidding," Barry said to Felicity, at least I assumed because he was looking me over with interest. "She's either right about everything or completely delusional."

"Hey!" I pouted. "I thought if anyone would believe me it'd be you guys."

Barry chuckled. "Sorry, but we've got to consider all of the possibilities."

"I believe you," Cisco said, turning toward us. "I've always believed in the idea of other dimensions and even if I didn't look at these readings." He pushed a tablet into Barry's hands. "Around the time that you appeared in Starling there we massive amounts of wind and a dramatic air pressure change that hasn't been documented since-"

"Since the night Mom died," Barry's eyes widened with the realization. I felt a twinge of grief.

Cisco nodded and continued with, "these measurements are almost exactly the same as they were that night. If I didn't know any better I'd say some dimension hopping happened that night, too."

"Energy levels are also off the charts," Caitlin added. "I've never seen activity like this before. It really is fascinating." She paused.

"What is it Caitlin?" Felicity questioned hesitantly, as if she was afraid of the answer.

"Nothing bad, it's just…" Caitlin took a deep breath and blurted out. "I'm wondering what kind of physiological effect it might have had on Eliza."

"What kind of effect?" I'd almost forgotten Roy was in the room until he spoke up and stepped closer to me. "Damage?"

"Maybe." Caitlin answered as honestly as she could with the information in front of her. "I'd like to run some tests but it'd take hours for you to get to S.T.A.R. Labs and by then any evidence may be compromised."

"Well how fast could Barry get here?" I prompted. "If you give him the equipment, I'm sure he and Felicity could run any necessary tests right here. And if someone came here Roy and I could show you the alley were I woke up. There might be evidence there too."

The room was silent until Barry said, "That's not a bad idea." A fraction of a second later he was standing in front of the webcam in his Flash suit. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Sooo sorry for the ridiculous wait. Finals and other end of semester craziness kept me busy but now that I'm done with school for the summer…more time to write! Yay! Also thank you to** booklover777** for the encouragement to update! This one's for you! This is a pretty fun chapter (at least I think it is) with some minor Roy/Eliza fluff. Canon kinda ruined my original plans for them so let me know in a review if I should go with my original idea or adjust to stick with canon a bit better. Enjoy the chapter and let me know!**

Chapter 3

As we waited for Barry I practically interrogated Team Arrow. I figured out that I was just about where I thought I was in the series. We were right before episode 12—I think they were even more freaked out by me when I revealed that I'd memorized the plot of each individual episode—so Oliver would be back much sooner than I'd thought. By now he was probably trying to convince Tatsu he that he's fine enough to come back and would be in Starling within a few days.

"Wait so what else is real in this world? Are all comic book characters real? Or just the ones that have been modified for the screen? Cause if the Avengers are real we're totally taking a road trip to New York." Roy put a hand over my mouth, stopping not only my ranting but also my pacing.

"One question at a time," he chuckled. "Sorry but none of them are real. Not even the Avengers." So maybe this was strictly Arrow-verse? A bit disappointing but at least it was the universe I was most familiar with.

I pulled his hand off my face and pouted. "Dang. And I was already looking forward to meeting Steve Rodgers." I plopped myself onto the medical table I'd been woken up on not so long ago and swung my legs beneath me. Roy sat next to me, rolling his eyes.

"I don't blame you," Felicity said, spinning in her chair to reveal a dreamy look. "Captain America is definitely the hottest Avenger. No question." I grinned, remembering all of the fanfictions I'd read pairing Felicity and Steve.

"I don't know," Laurel added from a chair near Felicity's desk. "What about Thor? Those arms? Art."

"Wait a minute." I said, realizing I'd never asked about DC comics. "Are Batman and Superman real?"

"Isn't Superman that alien guy from a couple years ago? When Metropolis was almost destroyed?" Felicity asked. The others nodded remembering the event.

I barely stopped myself from squealing. "What about Batman?"

"I went to Gotham a few years ago and saw him." Diggle admitted. "I have a family friend there that I was visiting and I happened to spot Batman stop a mugging."

I was practically vibrating with excitement as I actually squealed. "Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod. This is so cool! Can we go? Let's go to Metropolis first. No, Gotham! Ah, I can't decide but we're so going to see them." Team Arrow laughed at my excitement.

"We can't exactly go now but maybe once Oliver is back and everything calms down a bit." Diggle explained, making me realize what they were facing in Starling. I mean sure I knew that everything would work out well enough but getting to that point might take a while.

"A road trip does sound pretty fun, though," Felicity added. "We're doing it at some point."

"Ok I'm changing the subject," Roy cut in. "You said you're a Psych major right? At what school?"

"Some tiny school you've never heard of near Syracuse." I answered with a sigh. "Never had much money but my grades got me a scholarship and my two jobs got me the rest of the money I needed to focus on school without having to work during the semester."

"You must be pretty smart to have gotten a scholarship," said Roy.

"Well, I'm no Felicity Smoak," I laughed, grinning at Felicity. "I just work really hard. College was my chance for a fresh start and I knew the only way to get there was with a scholarship."

"Why psychology?" Digg asked. He generally kept his distance, still a bit wary of me but was curious enough to ask questions every once in a while.

I shrugged. "Same reason you guys do all this," I said gesturing to the glass cases displaying the suits. "I want to help people. The best way I knew how to do that was listen to other people's problems and do what I could to help them through it." I smiled faintly and looked down at my jeans, relieved to see they weren't too gross from tonight's adventures. "I've always found myself to be…empathetic. If someone I know is going through something rough I can't just stand by. I have to do something, even if that something is just being someone to listen to or a shoulder to cry on."

I looked up to see the others smiling almost fondly at me. "What? Is there something on my face?" I asked self-consciously, reaching for my cheek.

Roy pulled my hand off of my face and held it, resting both of our hands on the table between us. "No, there's nothing on your face. It's just really nice to meet someone so…genuine. Someone who cares."

I smiled at him. "Thank you," I said quietly before releasing his hand. There was a moment of silence before Felicity finally spoke up.

"Rapid fire time," Felicity jumped in with an evil grin. "Favorite color?"

"Blue," I answered easily.

"Favorite ice cream flavor?" Roy asked.

"Anything with peanut butter."

"Favorite movie?" Laurel joined in.

This made me pause. "Well it changes constantly but right now I'd have to say _Goonies_."

"Good choice," Felicity commented with a nod.

"Chunk is my spirit animal." I explained. Roy looked confused and Diggle chuckled.

Apparently even Dig couldn't resist, he smiled slightly and asked, "Favorite show?"

I rolled my eyes. "_Arrow_. Duh."

"Favorite _Arrow_ character?" Roy asked smirking. Poor guy probably thought I'd say him.

"Felicity," I answered immediately.

She looked surprised. "Really?"

"Of course. I mean I love all you guys but Felicity is so much more relatable and well…honestly she's more fun." They looked a bit hurt. "Let's be honest, you guys tend to take things way too seriously. Too much brooding. Felicity's the comic relief on the show. Her entire purpose on the show is to make sure things aren't too serious and that you guys smile every once in a while."

"It's weird to think of ourselves in that kind of way." Laurel said thoughtfully. "Like we have a purpose within a TV show. To keep things moving or in a certain mood."

"Plus," I added. "Olicity is totally my OTP." Roy started laughing and Dig let loose another small smile.

"Do we really have a couple name?" Felicity shook her head, looking embarrassed.

"OTP?" Laurel asked.

"One true pairing." I explained. "It's basically your favorite ship." She still looked confused. "Like relationship? Couples you love and really want together. Like Captain Swan or Spuffy or Snowbarry."

"Snowbarry?" Felicity tried to hide a smile.

"Barry and Caitlin Snow. I personally go back and forth on them because on one hand they'd be adorable together but Barry has that cute lifelong crush on Iris and all the history between the two of them... Although she's totally oblivious even though he's _told_ her-"

"Didn't Caitlin have that dead fiancée?" Roy interrupted.

"Yeah, and he's totally alive, they'll find him soon. I love Ronnie, I really do, and as much as I want it to work out I'm not sure it will." I stopped and tried not to grin. "Plus he's kind of a hot head." I burst out laughing at my own pun, while everyone else looked confused. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. You'll understand in a few weeks."

"How well do you know Ronnie?" Felicity questioned. "He couldn't have been on the show very long if he was considered dead for such a long time."

I grinned, glad that even though they had some doubts, they actually believed me about the show. "He wasn't, but I've been a fan of the actor who played him for years. Loved him pretty much but since his _True Jackson VP_ days."

"I remember that show!" Roy exclaimed. "It was awful."

"Yeah it was pretty bad," I admitted. "He was also in a Scooby Doo movie, or maybe 2…? I don't remember." I saw Roy try not to laugh and turned to him. "But he's not the only one who was cast in shows before this. You're acting-alter-ego…actor-ego?" I shook my head and continued. "Your other self was on _Teen Wolf_." Roy looked horrified. "Dig was on some cop show. Laurel was a badass demon on _Supernatural_. Felicity wasn't really in anything else, this was pretty much her big break, but remind me to show you some great blackmail footage of your psycho ex Cooper."

"You know about Cooper?" Felicity asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, not only the present stuff with him kidnapping you and your mom but there were also a few flashbacks to your MIT days. The whole goth thing wasn't a great look for you." Now Felicity looked horrified while Roy tried not to laugh at the mental image of a Goth Felicity. "But Cooper was in this really terrible musical called _Spectacular!_ and there's the _Glee_ days-Oh my God." I paused and whispered, "Sebastian Smythe."

"Who?"

"Felicity!" I shouted. She jumped. "I need your computer." She moved out of the way as I rushed over to her desk and pulled up Youtube. As I searched for the video a part of me was surprised that Felicity trusted me enough to let me touch her babies but I focused on the mission in front of me. I quickly found _Glee_'s version of "Glad You Came." I waited until they'd all gathered around the computer before playing it. "You guys really need to see this."

"Is that Barry?" Felicity asked incredulously.

I nodded. "Or at least the actor who plays him in my world." We watched in silence for a few seconds until Barry's actor-ego gave a particularly sultry look to the camera. Then we all burst out laughing.

…

That was how Barry found us later. We watched more videos of him dancing and singing in perfect harmony with the Warblers. Roy, Laurel and Dig just sat there and laughed while Felicity and I attempted to imitate their dance moves.

There was a rush of wind as Barry ran into the room, arms full of Caitlin's equipment and two pizza pies. "Hey, guys. What are you laughing at?" We all just kept laughing and pointed to the computer, now playing Glee's version of "Want You Back." "Whaaa?" Barry's eyes widened at the sight of his doppelganger thrusting his hips to the music. "That's not me!" he insisted.

"It sort of is," I said, still giggling. "That's the actor who plays you in my world. Didn't you notice the resemblance?"

"Yes, I did notice my boy band clone, thank you very much." Barry sarcastically answered, sinking down in a chair. "You've been in this world an hour and I already hate you."

"Oh please," I happily bounced toward him and daintily sat on the arm of his chair. "You already love me. If I can get Dig to like me within an hour, I can get you to love me in fifteen minutes."

"No way," Barry looked toward Dig. "Do you really approve of her?"

Dig looked almost annoyed but I saw a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Unfortunately."

…

An hour later, Laurel had left to get some sleep since she had to be in court in a few hours, Roy and Dig were sparring, and Barry and Felicity were still poking and prodding at me, urged on by Caitlin via Skype. "Her lymph nodes were how swollen?" she asked Felicity, jotting down notes on a clipboard.

"They weren't swollen at all," Felicity sighed, clearly exasperated.

"Are you sure because there could definitely be a link between—"

"My lymph nodes aren't swollen, Caitlin!" I exclaimed, waving away Barry reaching to take my blood pressure for a third time. "There's nothing wrong with me except for a possible concussion and a few bruised ribs."

"I'd forgotten about your ribs! You're going to have to take off your shirt so I can see how bad the bruising is and have Felicity check for breaks."

"And that's my cue to leave," Diggle said, gathering his things. "See you guys tomorrow."

I looked toward Roy who had his arms crossed, clearly not willing to leave with Dig. I motioned for him to turn around and he obliged with a sigh.

A clearly flustered Barry stammered, "I can't leave without Caitlin's stuff so I'll just...turn around now."

"Is this really necessary?" I asked Caitlin. "I feel fine."

"Yes." She stated simply. "Felicity needs to check for breaks. You could puncture a lung."

"I think I'd know if I'd punctured a lung," I muttered, lifting the hem of my shirt so only my chest was covered. I heard a gasp from Felicity and looked down at my torso. The bruising was much worse than I'd thought. There were big purple splotches all over and some even darker ones near my hips that looked like handprints. "Well, shit."

"What?" Roy spun around, eyes widening at the sight of my bruises. I put down my shirt right away. I'd never seen Roy look so pissed. "I should have killed him," he growled.

I took a couple of steps toward him and put a hand on his arm. "You don't mean that."

"He would have deserved it," he defended."

"Maybe," I said soothingly. "But I'm glad you didn't." The overtly comforting tone took me off guard a bit. I'd always thought myself to be compassionate but defending my own attacker? That was more forgiveness than I thought myself capable. I didn't know what it was about this place-or maybe these people?—that made me so in tune with my emotions but I could feel a strange warmth coming from me. It began in my chest and intensified as a spoke, invoking a low humming sound from the back of my throat. Roy visibly relaxed about didn't remark on the noise.

Thankfully none of the others seemed to have noticed either. Roy just looked at me strangely, like he couldn't believe that I'd be willing to forgive so easily. "Really?" he asked. "He _attacked_ you. He hurt you. He would have…" He couldn't seem to get the words out. "He would have done a lot worse if I hadn't heard you screaming."

"But he didn't," I replied simply. "He didn't get the chance to do more than throw a few punches because you and Laurel were there." As I spoke I could hear the humming tone return and again, my voice seemed to calm him. Weird.

….

After Caitlin talked Felicity through checking my ribs for breaks—I may have said 'I told you so' when there were none—Barry suggested going back to the alley to check for strange energy spikes with a device Cisco made him bring. Roy tried to make me stay with Felicity but I refused, adamant that I could handle going back with them.

"Are you sure?" Roy asked for the millionth time as he suited up. "No one will blame you for staying here."

I just rolled my eyes at him and turned to Felicity. "Is he always such a worrywart? I don't remember him being this cautious...like ever."

Felicity just smiled. "He has his moments."

Roy rolled his eyes at us. "So you're riding there with me right? Barry said he'd give us a head start."

"Only because I don't feel like waiting in an alley for twenty minutes." Barry said from the opposite side of the room while eating Big Belly Burger. "And I want to eat."

"Sure." I said, starting toward to door.

"Wait," Felicity suddenly realized something. "I'd totally forgotten. If Roy and Barry are both going out in their suits and you're not you could be recognized. I mean recognized as an associate. Not recognized as yourself because no one will know you since you're not from…I'm going to stop now." I wanted to laugh but I knew she was right. I wasn't exactly hidden in my jeans and floral top.

"No problem," Roy reached for his signature red hoodie and handed it to me. "Wear this."

"Are you sure?" I asked. This felt big. Wearing freaking Arsenal's red hoodie? Who can say they've done that? I could practically hear all of the fangirls' squeals and jumping.

"Yeah," Roy made it seem like it wasn't at all a big deal. Maybe off screen he gave hoodies to random girls all the time. "Just keep the hood up and no one will know who you are."


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for disappearing on you guys but life got in the way of the story. I'll try my best to keep up a fairly consistent update schedule but I won't make promises I can't keep. BUT I will promise a sneak peek at my outline for the next section of the story to the first 3 reviewers! If you mention the word "outline" in your review so I know you read this bit and keep your messages on I'll PM it to you soon. Happy reading! **

**Chapter 4**

"We're riding on your _motorcycle_?" I exclaimed in surprise.

Roy just looked startled at the outburst. "Is that a problem? I'm sure Felicity would let me borrow her car if you'd feel more comfortable-"

"Are you kidding? I've always wanted to ride one!" I eagerly swung my leg over the side of his bike and scooted as far back as I could to give him room to sit. He just stared at me incredulously. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!" I could barely contain my excitement. I really had always wanted to learn to drive a motorcycle but there was always something preventing me from doing so. Whether it was time or money or…people.

Roy shook his head in amusement and grinned widely at me. "I've never seen someone so excited to ride a _bike_." I stuck my tongue out at him and his smile somehow got even wider.

The ride was even better than I'd imagined. Roy made me wear his helmet (he teased me when I pouted about it) but with the wind whipping my exposed hair and the overwhelming feeling of freedom as I watched the bright lights of Starling fly by I'd almost forgotten about the fact that I had my arms around Roy's torso. _Almost_. What was it about him anyway? I'd always had a bit of a crush on him when he was just a character on a TV show but I'd never expected this unexplainable connection I felt to him. I'd known him for a few hours and yet I felt like I could tell him anything in the world and he wouldn't tell a soul. I could trust this guy who was practically a stranger with my life. I kind of already had.

"This is _amazing_!" I yelled into the wind. Roy chuckled and even if I could barely hear it I felt his hard abs shake beneath my hands. Damn. I knew he was ripped from his many shirtless scenes on _Teen Wolf_ but _seeing_ it didn't come close to _feeling_ it.

"Just wait." As he finished speaking he lifted the bike onto one wheel. I laughed and gripped him tighter, if only to keep from falling off. When both wheels were firmly on the ground he sped through the streets of Starling even faster.

…

Roy wasn't ashamed to admit that he took the long way to the alley. Of course if anyone asked he'd use the excuse of wanting to postpone bringing Eliza to the place where she had been beaten. (Although she had been nonchalant about going back he couldn't help but feel that being there would bring back painful memories that he wanted to protect her from.) This was all true but the main reason was the feeling of her arms wrapped around his chest and hearing her laugh…that made him want to stay on this bike with her as long as possible.

When they finally arrived, Barry was already there waiting for them. He was waving a device that looked vaguely like a metal detector across the ground. He looked up only to tease them about taking so long and continued scanning the ground with the detector thing. Roy watched as Eliza walked directly to the opposite wall. She knelt to the ground and said "Here."

"There?" Barry questioned. "What's there?"

"This is where I woke up." Roy noted that Eliza looked dazed, as if she was just now realizing what had happened. "I got up and tried to figure out where I was when those men came through there." She gestured toward the entrance of the alley. She shivered and subconsciously burrowed herself further into the hoodie she was wearing. _My_ _hoodie_. A masculine voice in him couldn't help but notice.

Roy stepped toward her and pulled her into a much needed hug. Eliza relaxed in his arms and gripped the leather of the front of his suit to pull him closer. He could feel her shaking as she finally processed the events of that night and how lucky she was that he had heard her screams.

"Uh guys?" Barry awkwardly interrupted. "If that's where Liz-I mean-Eliza came through then that's where I need to scan." Roy chuckled, ignoring how Barry had stumbled over Eliza's name and walked her out of Barry's way, keeping an arm around her the whole time. Barry looked troubled by something but it couldn't be that he'd screwed up Eliza's name. It seemed bigger than that, like he'd been reminded of something he'd rather forget.

Before Roy remark on it Barry interrupted his train of thought.

"Whoa." Barry said as a buzzing noise immediately erupted form the device as it was scanned over the area where Eliza had woken up. "The energy readings here…I've never seen anything like it. If you did come through another dimension…" Barry shook his head, completely flustered by his lack of knowledge of the situation. "It's the only explanation for this data."

After a few more minutes of recording data with the various devices Cisco and Caitlin had forced on him, Barry left for Central City to give the data to Star Labs.

"My bag!" Eliza exclaimed out of nowhere. "I had been carrying it with me when I was walking on campus but must have dropped it back in my world. I thought it might have been here but it's not."

"It might have come here with you and someone snatched it," Roy commented.

"Either way, I'm screwed. No phone, no wallet, no money, IDs. I'm not going to be able to do anything legally without IDs."

Roy smirked. "I think we'll be able to take care of that."

….

The ride back from the alley was shorter and more somber. I couldn't believe my reaction back there, how weak I must have seemed in front of two of my heroes. I was ashamed but I was also more shocked than anything else, for many reasons. My biggest concern was the most obvious one; actual, physical proof that this was not just some crazy dream or hallucination. I had somehow traveled not just through time but through dimensions. With that came some obvious questions. How did it happen? Why'd it happen to me? How could I get back? Did I even want to go back?

My second shock of the night was my not-so-welcoming party in the alley. When we'd gone back I couldn't help but remember those men and what they'd almost done to me. I didn't even want to think about what could have happened if Roy and Laurel hadn't come to my rescue.

Which brought me to my third big shock of the night: Roy. Roy had been so great with everything…never judging me or calling me crazy, though the thought must have crossed his mind when I'd started telling stories about dimension hopping. He'd been so incredibly sweet and had taken care of me, even brought me back to his base of operations even though he had no idea how I was or if I could be trusted. And then when we'd gone back to the alley and I'd been struck by the memory and realization of how close a call it had been. I didn't know what to think about it all.

As we came down the stairs descending into the Arrow Cave, Felicity still had STAR Labs (just Cisco and Caitlin as Barry was still on his way to Central and Harrison Wells was nowhere to be seen) webchatting on one screen and was typing computer code onto another. "You guys really need to update your system. Next time I come over I'm upgrading you. It's just embarrassing at this point." Felicity shook her head as she spoke to an amused and slightly ashamed Cisco. She turned when she heard us entering. "Hey guys! Find anything interesting?"

"We found out that I don't have anything to my name here." I grumbled. "I dropped my bag before hopping over the border so no laptop, no cellphone, and no wallet. How am I going to be able to do anything legally without a license and legal papers?"

"Well the papers I can take care of easily." Felicity cracked her knuckles as she turned back to the screens. Then she shook out her hands. "That didn't feel nearly as cool as it looked. Ouch." Within a minute she pulled up blank document, ready to fill out. "Birthdate?"

"Honestly, I have no idea." I answered. Everyone looked at me in confusion. "I was left on the doorstep of an orphanage in New York when I was three. At least they think I was three. I've always gone by November 19th for a birthday because that's the day I was found."

"That's crazy!" Cisco exclaimed from the screen. Caitlin slapped the back of his head. "I mean you hear about that kind of thing in movies and stuff but people actually leave babies on doorsteps?"

I shrugged. "Apparently. I've been bouncing around from foster home to foster home since then. Never stayed anywhere more than a few months. My last home was with Ms. Logo and the only reason she let me stay there for as long as I did was because she made me pay rent as soon as I turned 18. Said if she wasn't being paid by the state to deal with me then why should she even bother?"

"That's terrible. Did someone at one of the homes name you Eliza?" Felicity asked.

"No," I pulled the thin gold chain of my necklace to show Felicity my most prized possession. "This is the only thing I have from my parents." On the necklace was a small heart shaped charm reading 'Eliza' in a pretty font. "Just my name. Nothing else to give me a clue to who they were."

"Do you remember anything about them?"

"Flashes sometimes? But even then I don't know what's real and what I've imagined."

Caitlin shook her head. "That's awful. I can't imagine knowing so little about your family. Have you tried looking for them?

"All the time, but I could never find them because I never had enough information. I don't have a last name or any even a description of either of them since no one saw who dropped me off at the orphanage. I tried looking into my early records from when I'd first arrived at the orphanage to see if I'd told them anything useful and they'd just dismissed it as toddler ramblings but didn't really find anything other than I had a weird obsession with bees."

"Bees?" Roy asked.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "Apparently I keep asking where 'Bee' was. They didn't know if I wanted bees like the insect or the letter or if that was a nickname for someone. Toddler-me didn't explain, just keeping asking for Bee."

"Huh," Felicity looked intrigued and like she wanted to know more but knew I didn't want to go further into my past. Talking so much about it had opened some wounds that I didn't feel like rubbing more salt in, at least not tonight. "I'll just make up some background info and you can memorize it later. Birthdate: November 19th 1995. Name: Eliza Rose…Wait we should get you different last name. What if there's an alternate universe version of you? We can't risk you crossing paths and messing with timey-wimey things."

I smiled at the Doctor Who reference and said, "We'll I'm not very attached to my last name, it was just the name of the first foster mom that took me in but I was only there for a week before they switched me and I don't remember her at all. What do you suggest for a new one?"

Felicity thought about it before making a suggestion. "What if you just use my last name? You could be Eliza Rose Smoak. Then you can stay with me and we'll tell everyone you're my cousin."

"Seriously?" I asked, kind of shocked. "You want me to stay with you? And Want everyone thinking we're related?"

"Why?" she seemed kind of embarrassed. "Do you not want to be associated with me like that?"

"No! It's not like that at all, it's just…" I was trying to explain the gratitude I felt without choking up. "No one's ever done anything like that for me. I've spent my whole life bouncing around from different foster families because none of them wanted me and you've just met me today and want me to…" I stopped and tried my best to stop the tears I felt from flowing. What was with me today? It was like all day I'd felt each emotion tenfold. Was it this place? These people? Or a stress from the day's events?

"Eliza, listen to me," Felicity spoke very comfortingly. "We don't know how or why yet, but we're connected somehow. All of us," she gestured to Roy, Caitlin and Cisco, "are connected in this mess and we need to stick together. So at least for now, you're one of us."

**Sorry it's a bit short but I was really anxious to post it. I'll update as soon as I can but reviews and knowing people actually like the story definitely encourage me to go faster. And I know Eliza seems really emotional right now but I promise there's a reason for it and she'll be better soon. Also, let me know if you think Roy might be a bit too OOC. I've been trying to focus on his sweeter side but I don't know it's too much. Review and let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys! So I'm not dead. And I've got an update! Sorry I didn't end up doing the outline thing because I felt like it would give too much away about future chapters. And yes, there will most definitely be future chapters. I know my schedule is really crazy and erratic and I'm sorry about that but I'm not giving up on this story anytime soon. Plus I've got a really exciting surprise coming up that I'm hoping to announce with my next chapter. So get ready for that but for now, enjoy the update!**

**Chapter 5**

By the time I was finished hugging and thanking Felicity and we were done figuring out the rest of my information for the paperwork, Barry had gotten back to STAR Labs and the three scientists were working diligently to figure out exactly what had happened to me. Personally I thought this was all kind of a waste of time, but I wouldn't tell them that. Especially considering how nice they'd all been to me. Obviously a speedster had travelled between dimensions and for some reason brought me along for the ride. Because there were only 2 speedsters that existed on _The_ _Flash_, one of them must have brought me.

This led me to 2 possible explanations. The first was that the Reverse Flash had brought me here as some kind of distraction or some other kind of benefit for him. There were a couple of flaws with this plan, such as why would he pick me? There were plenty of much more fanatic _Arrow_ lovers that would have caused much more of a scene than I had. And there had to be an easier way to create a distraction other than traveling between dimensions, especially considering he seemed to be weakened somehow. (At least that was the most rational explanation for the stolen tachyon device from episode 9.) _And oh god, I needed to tell them what I knew about Harrison Wells! Or would that screw everything up?_ I shook my head and concentrated at the immediate issue at hand. Finding out who had dragged me from my universe and why.

Which led to explanation #2: Barry had no idea what had happened to me so there was no way he had been involved, at least not the present version. Time travel however, had already been established on the show, so it was possible that future version of Barry had brought me here to help present-Barry. But then why wouldn't he bring me to Central City? If he wanted me to help his past self (or present-self? Time travel is confusing) why would he bring me to Starling? Was I supposed to help Team Arrow instead? Help them keep faith until Oliver returned? But everything had worked out fine without me on the show. So was I supposed to help them with something later on in the season?

Either option left a lot of unanswered questions and confusion, some of which I had shared with the others and some of it I'd kept to myself. I wanted to avoid anything having to do with what I knew about their near future, I'd seen enough time travel related shows and movies to know to steer clear of changing anything. My even being here was risking a lot but it wasn't like I could really avoid it at this point.

"Dr. Wells!" Caitlin exclaimed, abruptly disrupting my thoughts.

_Oh shit, I was so not ready to deal with Wells. I shouldn't confront him should I? And I couldn't tell the others at this point to lie to him about me. _

"You're all here later than usual," Wells commented. "Has something happened?"

"You could definitely say that," Cisco said with a grin that showed just how cool he thought all of this was.

I crossed my fingers behind my back and smiled shyly at the screen, hoping for the best.

….

Harrison Wells was a man who prided himself on his knowledge. As such, he was rarely confused, but as he looked toward the screen Cisco gestured to he couldn't help but feel that unfamiliar emotion. He saw Felicity Smoak, whom had met and even before then kept an eye on, as well as Roy Harper, the young sidekick of the infamous Arrow. But behind them, smiling nervously at the webcam was a familiar looking teenage girl. She was maybe 18 or 19, tall and lean with a dark brown hair that fell past her shoulders. She was pretty, yes beautiful even, but it was her eyes that he really took notice of. They were a strange blue-green that seemed oddly familiar.

"Dr. Wells, this is Eliza." Caitlin introduced. "We believe she's traveled from another dimension."

Interdimensional travel! Of course it was possible but that kind of technology wouldn't be available for decades. And Barry wouldn't reach that level of speed for another few years of intense training.

"And that's not even the best part," Cisco was bursting with excitement. "In her dimension, we're in a TV show. A freaking TV show! About us! How cool is that?!"

"Fascinating," was the only word that Wells was able to say. His mind was suddenly filled with memories from that night 15 years ago, when another Eliza was just within reach before being swept away. Was it possible that this could be that little girl from that night? Another dimension would explain why he hadn't been able to find her after all those years of searching. He had to know. Right now.

With muttered excuses of checking on the pipeline controls, Wells rushed as fast as his wheelchair would take him to his hidden time vault. He got sick every day of not being able to run like he used to, but never before had that damn wheelchair seemed so agonizingly slow. He'd barely reached the threshold of the secret room before standing and rushing toward the pedestal. He placed his hand on it and ordered as calmly as he could, "Gideon, show me the future." Before him appeared a newspaper, but to his despair it wasn't the "Flash Missing" article adorning the front page. Instead read the headline "Reverse Flash Dead: Defeated By Super Duo."

This confirmed all of his suspicions. Eliza had to die.

….

_He knows. _That's all I could think as Felicity and Roy said their goodbyes and goodnights to STAR Labs. Cisco and Caitlin promised to call as soon as they found anything but the only thing on my mind was how Wells took one look at me and rushed out of the room. _Whatever is going on; why I'm here, how I'm here, all of it. Wells knows. _

"Eliza?" Felicity gently asked. "Are you ready to go?"

"Go where?" I was still preoccupied with thoughts of Wells and what he might know about me.

"To my apartment. I thought we decided that you were going to stay with me now, Eliza Smoak." She said my new name with a grin.

I couldn't help but smile. "It's going to take me a while to get used to that." As happy as I was to be so accepted by the people I'd admired so much over the past two years, I felt guilty for being such a burden. "Are you sure me staying with you is okay? It won't be too much of a hassle?"

"Not at all! I'm actually kind of excited to have a roommate. My apartment is too big for just little old me anyway. I was thinking about putting out an ad for one but decided it probably wouldn't be the best idea."

"Yeah, I'm sure the late nights would be kind of hard to explain."

"At least without her thinking I was a hooker," she laughed.

"That would be the least of your worries," Roy added. "Oliver would freak if you had a complete stranger move in with you. If you got to the point where you needed a roommate to help pay rent or whatever he'd probably just pay all of your bills himself."

"With what money?" I asked. "Isn't he broke now?"

"Yeah, but Roy always forgets." Felicity said giving Roy a hard look. "Plus that's not what bothers me. It's none of Oliver's business who lives with me as long as I'm not giving his secret away."

"I didn't forget," Roy defended. "I just know that Oliver always finds a way when it comes to Felicity. You should know that by now," He turned to me. "You have to have seen just how sickeningly cute they get. Oliver would freak, well, Oliver _will_ freak when he finds out about all of this. Guaranteed he'll pull his own interrogation, but don't worry," he ended with a wink. "We'll protect you."

…..

And so Felicity and I drove in her Mini Coop to her apartment. She babbled mindlessly along the way but I didn't mind at all. I loved that she trusted me enough to let her into her bubble of people she could talk like this to. I loved that all of these people trusted me so much. For years I was on the outside looking into this world. I watched as they grew closer, learned about each other and themselves. I watched as they became a family, and now to be let into that family, even for just a little while, was more than I could have ever asked for.

We soon pulled up to what I assumed was her apartment building and the inside was as adorable and quirky as it was on the show. Just past the brightly colored walls and furniture of the living room, Felicity lead me back to a bedroom. The walls were a pale, pretty blue and the furniture was simple and made of white wood. There was a full sized bed pushed against the long window and I could already see myself laying on the bed and looking out the windows.

Felicity must have taken my silence the wrong way because she asked. "I know it isn't much but it'll do for at least a little while don't you think?"

"It's perfect," I said in awe. "This is all for me?"

"Well yeah, if you want it."

"Of course I do! This is amazing, I don't know how to thank you!" I exclaimed throwing my arms around her and pulling her into a hug.

Felicity just laughed softly and returned my hug. "You don't have to. You've been through enough without us also kicking you out onto the streets. Plus you've done so much for all of us already."

I pulled back to look at her. "What have I done? It seems to me like you guys just keep doing everything for me. Rescuing me, believing me, and giving me a place to stay…"

"You gave us hope." Felicity said simply. "Ever since Oliver left-" She cut herself off and shook her head. "Knowing that he's ok and will be back soon is all the thanks we need."

I internally grinned and squealed at the adorableness of Felicity missing Oliver so much.

"He misses you." I revealed with a sly smile.

"What?" she laughed like the possibility was ridiculous. "How would you even know that?"

"The show. Duh." I teased. "There may or may not have been a scene where he dreamed about you."

"No way!" She blushed but grinned widely. "Tell me everything."

…

I'd expected to sleep like a baby after my evening of gossiping with Felicity. Instead, I had the strangest dream. As I slept that night I felt that awful sensation again. The breathlessness of being choked in the wind vortex that could only be created by a speedster. It was the same feeling but it felt different somehow, even though the wind felt the same on my skin the same speed was suffocating me even worse now, like my entire body, and especially my lungs, were much smaller. A woman's voice whispered unintelligible words and brushed my hair out of my face.

I sat up in the bed gasping for air. I'd had some weird dreams but that one took the cake. The wind, the feeling of being held and that woman's voice… It didn't feel like a dream. It felt much more like a memory.

But that was impossible.

…

After a long night of fitful sleep, I got out of bed and headed to the kitchen for some much needed caffeine.

"Morning sleepyhead," Felicity cheerfully greeted. She was fully dressed in work clothes and looking way too awake for 6:30 in the morning.

"How are you not tired?" I asked blearily. I plopped myself onto a stool in front of the breakfast bar as Felicity placed a mug of coffee in front of me.

"I'm used to it," she explained as she flitted around the kitchen, getting cream and sugar from the cabinets and getting together a simple breakfast of muffins and fruit. "Days in the office, nights in Verdant… It took me a while but I run on little to no sleep now. But coffee helps."

"I'm sure." I muttered putting more cream and sugar into the mug than socially acceptable. I hated the bitter taste of coffee but craved the caffeine. "Do we have a plan for today? I mean I'm sure you have stuff to do at Palmer Tech but am I supposed to stay here?"

"I texted Roy and he's going to pick you up and take you to Verdant. He and Digg are going to be doing some research on Brick and his men and I volunteered you to help."

"I don't mind. I'd rather do research and be useful than sit here and do nothing." I finished off my coffee and took a big bite of blueberry muffin. "I should ask Roy to help me run some errands. If I'm going to be staying in this world for a while I definitely need clothes, deodorant, toothbrush-" I groaned as I came to the realization that I would be able to buy any of these things. "I totally forgot. I have no money. And no job to make money."

"Well I have extra of the hygienic stuff in the bathroom and you can definitely borrow some of my clothes until you get your own. You're a bit smaller than me but my stuff should still fit you. As for the job thing I'm sure you'll find something. If you want I can talk to Ray and ask him to hire you for some low-level stuff. You'd just be filing and doing paperwork and it probably wouldn't pay much but it's something."

"Thank you but you've done so much for me already. I need to do at least this on my own." I paused. "But I will take you up on the clothes and toothbrush. Just until I have enough to buy myself some."

Felicity smiled. "Deal."

…

A few hours later I was back in the Arrow Cave with Roy doing research and wearing a pair of Felicity's black yoga pants and loose pink tank top with my denim jacket on top. I felt like the research was kind of pointless since I already knew all I needed to about Brick but I felt like the team needed to figure this out on their own. So I helped.

"Well it looks like the IRS has been after him for years but other than that I can't find anything on him. He's been associated with dozens of crimes, mostly low level robberies and assaults but was never charged. Looks like the cops weren't able to gather enough evidence to put him away for anything." I told Roy as I scanned through the information Felicity had helped us pull up on her computer.

"So we just need to put together evidence from one of the previous cases and give it to the cops. Then they'll have to put him away."

"Great except how are we going to find evidence in a few days that the cops, who do this professionally, couldn't in months?"

"That I don't know." Roy said sheepishly. "I'm not good with the details, that's usually Oliver or Felicity's job."

"Well Oliver isn't here and Felicity is busy at work so we'll have to figure this out on our own somehow." Digg called as he entered the foundry. He held a bundle to his chest and had a diaper bag swung over his shoulder.

"Why'd you bring Sara?" Roy asked.

"Yeah I thought Oliver was uncomfortable with here being down here?" I added.

"Again, Oliver isn't here. And the nanny quit." Diggle answered grumpily. "She and her boyfriend eloped and moved to Coast City." As he spoke Sara started to cry. He attempted to rock her and talk soothingly but she just kept crying.

"Aw poor baby," I said as I approached father and daughter. Sara looked up curiously at me. "Hi, cutie." I cooed. "You are so much more precious in person." She smiled up at me and reached a little fist up. I gave her a finger to grab and used it to shake her hand. "It's nice to meet you too, Sara."

"She loves you," Digg said, surprised. "She doesn't usually take well to strangers."

"She's a smart girl," I said, still smiling at Sara.

"Do you want to hold her?" Diggle asked, holding her out awkwardly.

"I'd love to!" I carefully lifted her into my arms and cradled her. "Hello, sweetie." I cooed at her. She giggled and reached out to touch my face. I made a funny face and she laughed even more, grabbing my cheeks and pulling them to make more silly faces. I chuckled and adjusted my expression to go with her movements. She laughed even harder, pulling and twisting at my cheeks and nose with both hands.

"You're great with her. How'd you get to be so good with kids?" He asked.

"It was something I picked up while I was in the foster system." I said nonchalantly, now sitting and supporting Sara as she stood on my lap to get at better grip on my now sore cheeks. "I was almost always one of the oldest kids there and since none of the adults who were supposed to take care of us never did anything useful, I ended up taking care of them. My favorites were always the babies. But they never stayed long, babies always tend to get adopted quickly."

"You must've grown pretty close to the kids, then." Roy noted.

"Not really, I was always bouncing between homes so I'd do what I could to help out and try to me on my best behavior to avoid getting transferred but something always happened and I'd get switched again."

"Sounds lonely," Digg commented sadly.

"I got used to it," I shrugged. "I grew close to some of the kids but always moved anyway."

"Well you're not moving now." Roy comforted. "We're not getting rid of you so easily." I just smiled appreciatively. I loved that he cared so much but I had been bounced from home to home so often that I knew that nothing was ever set in stone. I'd had plenty of foster parents tell me the same thing before sending me away yet again.

"Well since you're apparently not leaving Starling anytime soon, and Sara needs a new nanny, how would you like the job?" Digg offered out of the blue.

"What?" I asked, completely shocked. "Seriously?"

"I mean, Lyla will definitely want to meet you first but yeah. You know what you're doing with her and she loves you. It took weeks of crying and coaxing to get her used to the last one and I refuse to go through that process again if I don't have to."

"But I just met you yesterday. You trust me enough with your daughter after just one day?"

Diggle just shrugged. "I've got a good feeling about you, El."

I tried not to grin at the nickname. "I've got a good feeling about you guys too." I leaned down to peck Sara's cheek. "And you too, sweetie." I looked up to Digg smiling. "Yes, I'd love to be Sara's new nanny."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Yup another update only a week later! Thank FanficFan920 for that, he's got some great ideas that made me very excited to move forward fast. Enjoy the new chapter!**

**Chapter 6**

That next week flew by. I met and actually became pretty good friends with Lyla (Digg just looked relieved that Lyla liked me and he wouldn't have to find another nanny). I spent my days taking care of Sara and my nights in the Arrow Cave. Felicity let me help run communication and do surveillance work on her computers while the boys and Laurel were out taking care of Brick's goons. Roy insisted on driving me to and from Felicity's apartment every day, even though Felicity was already driving to the same place. I never really argued because I loved riding his motorcycle and also loved spending the extra time with him.

We continued the research on Brick in the hopes of finding enough evidence to put him away but were coming up empty handed. Until the night Captain Lance called. I only heard snippets of the conversation as Felicity quickly spoke to him on the phone and immediately sent Arsenal over to meet with Lance. This was the phone call I had been waiting for. I remembered that this was the beginning of "Uprising" and that Oliver would be returning within a day or so. Not only that but this phone call would provide the evidence we needed to take the next step in defeating Brick.

Digg and I searched through the newly found evidence with nothing that would help us. It wasn't until Felicity tried to look for other cases with similar MOs that we finally got a break.

The computer beeped making all of us look up from what we were doing. "What was that?" Laurel asked.

Felicity spoke quickly as she typed. "I cross referenced Alderman Ford's murder in the evidence your father gave us. The same gun was used in a 21 year old shooting."

"The same gun?" Roy said shaking his head. "That's either arrogance or stupidity."

"In this case definitely stupidity." Felicity answered. "The murder from 21 years ago was Rebecca Merlyn." Finally some information we could use. From here it was just brainstorming on what to do with it. Sic Merlyn on Brick? Or keep it to ourselves? Personally I was all for letting Brick take care of that issue but I knew no one else would agree and it wasn't how it went down in the show. Although Merlyn definitely found out on the show but I couldn't remember how.

"Even if we did sic Merlyn on Brick, he'd have as much trouble finding him as we've had." Felicity said, exasperated. She'd been really frustrated at not being able to track him down using her usual methods. "Brick's men have been busy. They're cutting down cell towers and disconnecting traffic cams and staying out of satellite line of sight. Basically, every way I know how to find somebody."

"Wait," I interrupted. "If Brick's men cut down cell towers then how have they been communicating?"

Laurel looked up with the realization. "At the diner they had walkies."

Felicity rushed to the computer talking at top speed about frequencies and how they could track the signal.

Laurel looked lost. "I did not understand one word you just said, but Oliver was certainly lucky to have you."

"Is certainly lucky." I corrected. She looked to me. "He's not dead and he's on his way back. He _is_ lucky to have her not _was_."

Laurel looked a bit doubtful but conceded. "Ok. Is lucky." I nodded in thanks. The computer beeped and Laurel recognized the address. "Felicity, that's the Glades precinct."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Well it's not like the police are using it."

"Great we can add irony to the list of charges against Brick." Felicity deadpanned.

"Let's gear up." Roy stated.

…..

After an unsuccessful round with Brick, Laurel and Roy came back to the Arrow Cave, Merlyn in tow. As he came in he didn't seem at all shocked that I was there.

"Somebody please tell me how this is happening again." Felicity grumbled angrily.

"Daniel Brickwell." Merlyn stated simply. It seems we have a common interest." With Malcom Merlyn right in front of me I realized I'd never seen such a distinct difference between actor and character. Because seriously, Merlyn was nothing like John Barrowman. And it was terrifying. As soon as everyone had come back from the mission we'd formed an invisible barrier. Us vs Merlyn. I was just glad to be on the side furthest away from him. On the show I'd always liked him as a likeable villain. The kind of character you love to hate. But being there, in front of him was completely different. He gave me the creeps. And it didn't help that he kept looking toward me curiously. At first I'd thought that it was just me being paranoid but after another glance Roy subtly adjusted his position to block me from sight. Although I appreciated the gesture, it didn't make me feel any better.

"You know that Brickwell killed you wife." Laurel said.

"Her name was Rebecca." Merlyn corrected. "Since my death, maintaining my usual network of associates had become…shall we say problematic. But the fact you were able to locate Mr. Brickwell despite the fact that he has gone to ground demonstrates your group's capacity. At least," he continued looking toward me. "To some extent." I straightened my posture defiantly. What the hell did that mean?

"You followed us." Roy realized. "We led you right to him."

"And I saved your lives in the bargain." Merlyn argued. "So why not continue our association?"

"You want us to team up with you." Felicity stated rather than questioned. She had this quiet fury thing going that was honestly kind of scary.

Merlyn just sighed. "I guess the question before you is whether your scorn for me outweighs your need to see Mr. Brickwell dealt with."

"You mean killed." I interrupted. "And we don't kill."

Malcom Merlyn smiled as though I was a child who didn't know what she was saying. "You have your options. Weigh them." He started to walk out but turned to look back at me. "I thought with your knowledge you'd have better taste in allies Miss Rose." He paused and let out an almost sarcastic chuckle. "I'm sorry…Miss Smoak." He winked. "That'll take some getting used to." And before any of us could say a word to him he left.

We were silent for a minute, processing all that he had told us.

"Well that was weird." I finally said, breaking the silence.

"How did he know your name? Your real name?" Roy asked.

"Oh shit." I exclaimed, finally realizing what I had missed. I rushed to Felicity's computers and felt along the edges of the screens and table top until I found what I was looking for. "The same way he found out that Brickwell killed Rebecca." I held up the tiny camera.

"He's been spying on us?" Felicity was even more furious now. "Ok any sliver of doubt I had is gone. We are _not_ working with Merlyn."

"It might be our only chance," Laurel hesitantly defended. "I don't want to work with the man who killed my sister, but what if there's no other way?"

"We can find another way," Felicity stood her ground. "If Oliver was here there's no way he would be on board with this." Yikes, not going to mention what happens later then.

Roy stepped in at this point saying, "Merlyn has done some unimaginable things, but I believe he thought he was doing the right thing. He just wants to protect what's his."

"He did save Thea during the siege." I pondered.

"He did?"

"Well yeah, you and Oliver thought she was already safe on a train out of the city but during the siege she was still at the train station. One of Slade's minions tried to go after her and Merlyn saved her. No ulterior motives, just protecting his daughter." I explained.

"I-I didn't know," Roy stammered, clearly shocked.

"You couldn't have," I told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Thea didn't understand why he would help her either so she didn't want anyone else to know and make decisions about him for her. She wanted to figure him out for herself."

Roy shook his head and backed out. "I need to take a walk."

I nodded and hoped that he wasn't mad at me for telling him. I knew in the episode it was Thea who told him about being rescued during the siege and maybe he would have rather heard it from her.

"I still don't trust him." Felicity said, bringing my attention back to the issue at hand. "He put a camera in our fracking lair for crying out loud! He's been spying on us and only wants to use us because he knows we're his best option to kill someone he hates. I don't think we should hand him the opportunity. Even if it's for a scumbag like Brick."

Laurel sighed. "I agree. Even if it's the easy way out of this mess, it's not right."

"What do you think Eliza?" Felicity asked.

"I get a vote?" I was surprised. "I thought this was a Team Arrow only kind of decision."

Diggle rolled his eyes. "Please, if letting you take care of my daughter everyday didn't prove it enough maybe this will. We trust you. Even if you came from a different world and it's really creepy that you know all kinds of weird stuff about us and we haven't even known you that long, for some reason we trust you. And that makes you part of this team."

I smiled tried not to cry. "Well in that case…" I sighed. "Merlyn is not the kind of guy to want to make an enemy out of but even if he works with us now he'll clearly stab us in the back if it's what benefits him. I don't think trusting him is a good idea."

"What did we do on the show?" Digg asked.

"I think you already know."

…

"I'm not sure how I feel about this idea," Felicity repeated from the front of the van.

"If we do everything the same as I saw it played out on the show then this will work." I told her. All of Team Arrow was piled into the surveillance van. Roy and Laurel were in their gear and in the back with me while Felicity and Digg sat in the front watching for Brick's men.

"It feels like recess and we're about to fight the school bully."

"You're positive this will work?" Laurel asked.

"For the millionth time," I said rolling my eyes. "This. Will. Work. Plus, surprise ending." I knew Oliver would be back in time for the show down but as excited as I was for him to come back I was also kind of scared. Who knows how he'd react to me being here and knowing everything that I do? He'll be pissed for sure. I was just hoping that the rest of Team Arrow liked me enough to keep him from locking me up to keep me from spilling the beans.

"Surprise? You never said anything about a surprise."

"Relax, Felicity. It's a good surprise, we'll be getting some extra backup."

"Incoming." Digg interrupted. We all looked up to see Brick and a few men walking down the street toward us.

"Show time." Roy pulled up his hood and got ready to open the van door.

"Be careful!" I called out as he and Laurel left. "And kick some ass!" I faintly heard Roy chuckle as they closed the door and walked away.

After some insults thrown back and forth, the fighting began. On the show it had looked like this epic showdown between the good guys and the bad guys but in person it was anarchy. People were beating on each other with whatever they could find; bats, crowbars, shovels…anything that could do some damage. Some even had real guns and knives. Others were just as lethal with their bare hands. This sight would definitely give me nightmares.

Even through the chaos, it was clear that we were winning. The desperation of the Glades residents to win back their homes pushed them over the edge. As the fighting began to wind down, police finally started to come in to help.

As the police came and it was clear they were no longer needed, Arsenal and Black Canary came back to the van. "Oliver's back." Roy said excitedly as soon as he was in the vehicle. Digg started to drive us to Verdant.

"What?" Felicity spun around. "You saw Oliver?"

"We didn't see him but he was definitely there." Laurel clarified as she pulled off her wig. "We saw green arrows putting down Brick's men."

The knowledge that Oliver was back set everyone at ease. It was clear that everyone in that van cared deeply about Oliver Queen and were relieved that he was safe and back where he belonged. I just hoped that Oliver realized how lucky was to have the kind of friends he did.

….

Felicity was nervous. As in, way more so than usual. Eliza had said Oliver was fine and on his way but what if she was wrong? He had looked fine on the screen when he was announcing his return as the Arrow but what if he was horribly disfigured from his fight with Ra's and the suit hid it? What if he had some brain injury that made him act like a completely different person? What if he didn't love her anymore?

It might have been the most selfish of her questions but it was the one her mind kept coming back to. What if he didn't love her anymore, or worse, realized he'd never loved her in the first place?

So she sat at her computers, trying to keep busy as she waited for Oliver to return to the foundry but really just wringing her hands under the desk and worrying.

"He'll be fine," Digg reassured. He knew her well enough by now to see through her act. Not that it was much of an act. "Eliza said he'll be here right after he stops in to see Thea."  
Eliza. That was another thing to worry about. There were too many questions about her even being in that world that she, quite frankly, did not have in her to worry about yet. But how would Oliver react to her presence and knowing all that she did? They'd collectively decided to try to explain the situation to Oliver before introducing her to help ease him into the idea, so Roy and Eliza were out getting dinner for everyone while Felicity and Digg waited for Oliver.

"Sorry that I didn't come by sooner," a voice behind her said, breaking her thoughts. She spun in her chair to see Oliver, there and (relatively) unharmed right in front of her. "I just wanted to check in on Thea." He didn't even get to words out before she rushed out of her seat and into his arms, hugging him close and trying not to cry with the joy and relief that overwhelmed her. "It's okay," he softly whispered to her. "I'm okay." He was speaking to her in that soft, gentle voice he rarely used, and that was how Felicity knew that he really did care about her. It was that tone of voice that reassured her that she was part of the chosen few he truly cared about. He held her and told her he was ok and in that moment everything _was_. Nothing else mattered because he was there and he was okay. She reluctantly released him and stepped back.

"Merlyn told us you were killed." Digg said hesitantly. Clearly hoping for an explanation that didn't come from a girl from an alternate dimension.

"I was close." Oliver started. "I'm sorry that I didn't reach out sooner, I wasn't exactly in a cell service area." He walked up to his best friend and shook his hand firmly. "You kept the city together, saved the Glades. Well done. Where's Roy?"

"About that…" Felicity started. "Something kind of came up while you were gone. Er-well, more accurately some_one_." Before she could elaborate the door leading to the staircase flung open.

"We're baaack!" Eliza cheerily called out, carrying a bag of Big Belly Burgers. "With food!"

Roy stepped out from behind her, carrying another two bags that were significantly larger than hers. He was shaking his head but smiling. "I think they can tell without you announcing your presence."

"But it's so much more fun this way." She pouted but barely held it for a few seconds before a huge grin spread across face. "Oliver! You're back!" She dropped the paper bag on a table and pulled him into a hug. Felicity would have laughed at how confused and uncomfortable Oliver looked if she weren't terrified of how he'd respond to the strange girl who was in his secret lair without a care in the world.

"Uh-do I know you?" Oliver was adorably confused and it made Felicity wanted to kiss him so bad but knew it'd make the situation even more awkward.

Eliza stepped back and smiled mischievously. "Nope but I know you." She thrust out a hand. "I'm Eliza. Eliza Smoak."

"Smoak?" He asked, turning to Felicity and narrowing his eyes accusingly. Felicity just stood there and tried to look as cute and innocent as possible.

"Well, it was Eliza Rose but we decided it'd be better to change it because of the circumstances."

"What circumstances?" Oliver crossed his arms and looked at her suspiciously.

"That's where it gets a bit tricky," Felicity tried to explain. "It's really complicated but you have to know that we're still looking into how this is possible and we've called STAR Labs to help us figure it out."

"Felicity. Just tell me."

"I'm from another world." Eliza stated. "A world where your story is a TV show."

….

"I still don't understand." Oliver said shaking his head. We'd explained the story to him, but he was (understandably) having some trouble comprehending it. "So you were in a different world and someone with super speed brought you to this one but you don't know who and you don't know why?"

"That pretty much covers it." Roy said, reaching over to steal one of my fries.

I laughed and slapped his hand away. "Get your own." He responded with a smirk.

"And in that world, there was a show about me." Oliver continued, ignoring our banter. "And because you watched that show you know everything about us and everything that's going to happen to us."

"Not _everything_," I explained. "Just the important stuff. And I'm only a few episodes ahead so I only know what's going to happen in the next few weeks."

"Like what?"

"I know that the reason you're alive is because Maseo and Tatsu saved you. That you know them from your time in Hong Kong five years ago. And that you're planning on teaming up with Malcom Merlyn to defeat Ra's al Ghul. Because only the student can defeat the master." Oliver looked shocked. "I also know that's bullshit and you could totally beat him without Merlyn."

"Wait I'm sorry, I think I heard you wrong." Felicity jumped in. "You want to work with Malcom Merlyn?"

"That doesn't matter right now." Oliver tried to change the subject. "What matters is that there someone who knows all of our secrets and can do whatever she wants with them."

"_She_ is right here," I told him. "And I'd never tell anyone. I know how important it is to keep quiet, especially with secrets that could affect the people you care about. I'd never risk that."

"And we're just supposed to take your word for it?" Oliver asked. "Just let you into our lives and trust that you won't go around spilling our secret to whoever you want?"

"Well that's what we were doing before." Digg stated. Oliver spun to look at his best friend in surprise. "We trust her. She's living with Felicity, she's Sara's new nanny, she's always hanging out with Roy and she was always down here helping us when you weren't."

"I would've been here if I could Digg, I just…"

"We know now that you were hurt bad, but Oliver we thought you were dead," Diggle tried to explain. "We went weeks without knowing anything and then Merlyn brought that damn sword back and we thought…" Digg sighed sadly and continued. "Eliza was the one who told us you were coming back, that you were ok. She gave us hope." He stood tall against his friend, and put himself between me and Oliver, physically showing his position on the situation. "We trust her because everything she's told us has been the truth and she's done nothing but help us ever since she got here. If you don't trust her than trust us."

Oliver was silent but was doing that weird face twitching thing that happened when he was angry but trying not to say anything to make the situation worse. He sighed and turned to Roy. "Roy, can you please drive Eliza back to Felicity's apartment?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah, of course." He put a hand on my back and led me toward the door.

"Wait," I said, stopping before I reached the door. I turned to face Oliver. "I know you don't trust me and I don't blame you for it. Frankly, I'm not sure I would trust me either. Not that you can't trust me or anything because you totally can I just understand why you don't. At least not until you get to know me. I guess that's what I'm really trying to say. To give me a chance. Get to know me before you shut me out."


	7. Chapter 7

**Well hello there. Sorry the update took so long but life got in the way. Hopefully the next one will be in about a week so get ready! Thanks to FanficFan920 for the editing help and for not killing me for pushing my deadline back almost a week. Enjoy the chapter! And the song in the beginning is "Vienna" by Billy Joel it's one of my favorites so you should definitely check it out. Please review! Reviews make me write faster so if you want a quicker update…review! **

**Chapter 7**

"Shhh…its ok Sara I'm right here." I soothed the crying baby. She continued fussing and I sighed. "I know you don't want to miss anything but you need to sleep. Guess it's time for the secret weapon huh?" I took a deep breath and began to sing.

"_Slow down, you crazy child  
You're so ambitious for a juvenile  
But then if you're so smart, then tell me  
Why are you still so afraid?_

Sara immediately stopped crying and looked up to me curiously. I smiled and continued singing softly, rocking her as she began to yawn.

_Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?  
You'd better cool it off before you burn it out  
You've got so much to do  
And only so many hours in a day_

_But you know that when the truth is told  
That you can get what you want or you can just get old  
You're gonna kick off before you even  
Get halfway through  
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you"_

I'd barely finished the chorus before Sara fell asleep in my arms. I gently placed her in her crib, humming as I placed her favorite stuffed toys beside her in her crib.

"Damn," said a voice behind me. I jumped and turned as the voice continued. "I've never seen her fall asleep that fast. You even started to get me tired when you sang like that."

"Lyla, you scared me!"

"Sorry," she shrugged. "I got off work early and thought I'd tap you out."

I sighed. "I'd appreciate it if I had something to do or somewhere to go." I followed Lyla out of Sara's bedroom and closed the door behind me softly, hoping not to wake the sleeping infant. We went to the kitchen and I plopped down at the table, exhausted and annoyed with Oliver's evasiveness.

"Oliver's still not letting you help the team?" Lyla asked, grabbing some mugs and putting the kettle on for some tea.

"Nope. I'm starting to think trying to convince him otherwise is a waste of time. I mean I'd love to help them and I loved being a part of something when I with them before Oliver got back but it's been almost three weeks and Oliver still won't even let me back to Verdant. Roy comes over to the apartment to give me updates on what's going on but Oliver is annoyed with him about it. Even though I pretty much already know what's going on. Plus, they've done all of this without me before, they could easily do it again, I've _seen_ it."

"Oliver will come around. I've gotten to know him pretty well over the past few months and I know for a fact that once he lets his guard down and lets someone in he is fiercely loyal and protective. He's just worried about trusting the wrong person and risking hurting the people he cares about. Once he realizes that he can protect those people better with you on his side, he'll come to you."

"I know. And the worst part is I _get_ it." I sighed again. "It'd almost be easier if he was just being an ass, that way I could complain about him and worm my way into his life without feeling guilty or like I'm intruding. I mean I know he doesn't like that I'm here but I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. I'm just trying to make the best out of a seriously bizarre situation."

"Completely insane more like." Lyla corrected, laughing.

"Sounds about right." I cracked a smile. I soon frowned again, remembering the issue at hand. "I'm just not sure if they need me at all. I thought it might have been different a couple of weeks ago when Oliver asked me how Thea would react to his secret when he told her. I thought once he saw that I was right and he had another person on his side that he could trust, he might let his guard down a little, but I'm starting to think it might have had the opposite effect. He's just more eager to protect his sister now that's she's been brought into the inner circle. Not that she can't protect herself. She's become a total badass since summer camp with Daddy Merlyn." At that Lyla laughed but I kept going. "I mean it's been _three weeks,_ Lyla. I know you think it's creepy when I talk in episode-speak but Oliver and Thea just got back from their little field trip to Lian Yu meaning we're nearing the episode 'Nanda Parbat.' That's the last episode I've seen, meaning it's my last chance to help them and know exactly what they're facing. But Oliver won't let me help! God, he's frustrating." I was practically out of breath from my ranting. Maybe that was a sign that I should work out more.

"Well I won't argue with the frustrating bit because that's Oliver in a nutshell." Lyla started. "As for helping, you could still be there for them. You are not only another hand on deck when they need help and don't want to risk revealing themselves to someone else but you know everyone. You know them as characters meaning you've gotten an insight to them that no one else does. That could be a huge advantage to them because a) they can be comfortable around you because you already know everything you need to know about them and b) you'd be great at predicting behavior. Think about it. You could fairly accurately predict the actions of Merlyn or Ra's or even someone on Team Arrow if they're on their own. Even if you don't know exactly what's coming after this week, you can still help them and be there for them."

I was silent for a while, considering all Lyla had said and realized that she was right. I could be of use to them. I could help. I just had to convince Oliver to let me. "You're right. Thanks, Lyla."

She smiled. "Glad I could help." She leaned back and grinned mischievously. "Now on to more important topics. Namely, how did you get Sara to sleep that fast? It was like magic."

I laughed and shrugged. "I'm not sure. I know whenever one of the babies I was taking care of wouldn't fall asleep, I could sing and they'd fall asleep faster. Never that fast though."

"Why don't you sing more often? Your voice is amazing. It's got this strange quality about it that I can't really describe but I swear I could listen to it all day."

"Thanks but I'm not really sure. I would sing all the time as a kid but everyone always got annoyed at me so I stopped. I guess I never really thought about whether I was good or not." I paused. "I'd always loved music though. I taught myself how to play the piano and guitar on school instruments. Even learned well enough to teach my best friend to play guitar." I laughed at the memory. "Even though he only wanted to learn because he loved _Back to the Future_ and wanted to play 'Johnny B. Goode.'"

Lyla smiled widely. "And did he learn to play it?"

"Not well." We both laughed.

"He sounds like fun." Lyla said hesitantly. "Where is he now?'

"He was the best." Talking about my long lost friend brought up a lot of good memories but even more bad ones. "But I had to leave him." I shook my head. "But that doesn't matter now, he's a universe away." I started to stand up. "Thanks for tea, but I think I should go. I've got to pay someone a visit."

…..

I knocked on the door to the penthouse of a _very_ nice apartment complex. God I hoped Felicity gave me the right address or else…awkward. Just as I was starting to doubt myself enough to step back and call her back the door swung open to show a very annoyed looking Thea.

"Um, hi! I'm Eliza, a friend of Felicity's and I was just hoping to talk to Oliver. Is he here?" I didn't know if Oliver had mentioned me at all when he told Thea his secret and didn't exactly want to blurt out that I was from another dimension and by the way could she let me in on her work out secret because her abs looked killer in that crop top. Although I'd probably rather not know since her work out regiments most likely consisted of assassin level drills that I so did _not_ have the discipline for.

These were the kind of thoughts I was glad to have not blurted out.

"Eliza?" she asked suspiciously. "The Eliza that Roy keeps talking about?"

I reached for the back of my neck awkwardly. "Well, yeah. Unless he knows a different Eliza, which is totally possible since it's a fairly common name. Though that might cause some confusion because having multiple friends with the same name gets weird. Like there were five Jens at my last school and they were all in the same friend group and it got super confusing because you'd call out 'Jen!' and they'd all turn and you'd have to specify 'No, I mean Blonde Jen' or 'Swim Team Jen' and it just got really-" I was (thankfully) cut off when Thea (not so thankfully) burst out laughing. Guess I spoke too soon about blurting out something embarrassing.

"I'm sorry-" she tried to say through the laughter. She took a couple of deep breaths to stop and said "I just-" Then started laughing again.

"Speedy?" Oliver came up behind Thea. "What's going on?"

"Just my mouth." I said sheepishly. "It goes on and on and on…"

Oliver cracked a smile. "I know someone like that."

"If you mean Felicity then you should know that I totally blame her. I was bad before but I've gotten so much worse since living with her. Her adorable awkwardness is definitely contagious so beware. At least I'd like to think the adorable part is too, but I might have just gotten the awkwardness."

Thea began to laugh _again_ (at this point she was gasping for breath from laughing so hard and I wasn't sure if I was flattered or insulted) and Oliver let out a single, breathy chuckle. "You got the adorable, too," he assured. I blushed because how could I not when _Oliver Queen_ thought I was adorable? Not that I'd actually pursue anything with him considering Olicity is perfection and he was too old for me, but _still_.

"Anyway…" I trailed, attempting to change the subject from my (apparently adorable) awkwardness. "Despite the babbling, I did actually come here for a reason."

"Ok. Then why don't you come in?" Oliver and Thea stepped back and opened the door wider to let me in.

"Thank you." I stepped in and looked around. "Wow, this is a lot more beautiful in person. You don't really get the full picture from a TV screen." I stopped realizing my mistake and turned to Thea. "Not that I ever actually saw it from a screen because that would be crazy."

She smiled widely. "I know about the whole alternate dimension thing. Oliver told me. Even though he doesn't quite seem to believe it."

"But you do?" I asked curiously.

"Not until I met you. I think with your running mouth you wouldn't be able to keep up the lie if it wasn't true. You say you're from another world then sure, why not? I've heard crazier things."

At this revelation Oliver looked to his sister strangely. "Crazier than a girl who knows everything about you because she came from an alternate reality where your life story is a television show?"

Thea paused. "Maybe not crazier." She paused, then shrugged. "But I still believe it."

"Well I appreciate it." I told her. "I'm always glad to convince people of my particular brand of crazy."

Thea grinned. "No problem." She turned to walk out of the room. "I guess I'll leave you to discuss some super-secret Arrow business then. Oh! And Sin and I are meeting up for lunch at Big Belly Burger tomorrow. You should come with us."

"Seriously? You want me to hang out with you guys?"

"Yeah, you seem like a lot of fun. And I know Sin would get a kick out of you. You know Sin right?"

"Yes I know Sin. She's awesome." Sin was totally one of my favorite minor characters. She was like a baby badass but also really funny. I was disappointed when she didn't come on much after Sara died.

"Great! So see you tomorrow?"

I smiled, glad to have made more friends in this strange world. "Definitely." I was shocked that I was becoming so close with so many people here. Especially since I'd barely had any friends back home.

…

Oliver watched carefully as the girl from another world interacted with his sister. Sure she seemed sweet and innocent, but that didn't mean she could be trusted. He could see however, why the others were so insistent on letting Eliza help them. They argued that she already knew everything she needed to and more, they weren't risking anything by letting her use the knowledge she already had to help them. And who knows how long she'd be in this world? She might be picked back up tomorrow and taken back to her own world (God he hoped so, that'd make his life so much easier) or she might be stuck her for the rest of her life. If the former were true, they should get as much information from her as possible before she leaves.

These were all good points, he had to admit. But there was still something holding him back. It was that innate fear that had been pulling at him ever since he had put on the hood. What if something happened to the people he cared about because of him?

It had started out simply. He had to look out for his mother, Thea, Laurel and Tommy. But soon Diggle was thrown into the mix and eventually his family. Roy jumped in wholeheartedly. And then there was Felicity. She was a whole other story.

But this little nineteen year old girl had the ability to ruin it all. At this point he didn't care that she knew _his_ secret, enough people knew about that already. What made him most afraid was that Eliza knew about _them_. She knew exactly how to hurt him most. Who was crucial to what aspects of their operation. She easily destroy all he'd built and everyone he'd ever cared about.

Meeting her now and seeing her babble and blush, he couldn't imagine she'd do anything of the sort on purpose. But one slip up in front of the wrong person could wreck everything. And that's exactly what he told her.

"You don't want my help because you're afraid of me _slipping up_?" Eliza asked incredulously. "That's insane. I may have a terrible brain to mouth filter but believe it or not I can keep a secret. There are plenty of things that I haven't blabbed about."

"Like what?" Oliver raised an eyebrow.

He almost smiled when she sighed and rolled her eyes. "They wouldn't be secrets anymore if I _told_ you." When she spoke like this he couldn't help but notice how young she was. She was a year younger than Thea. Too young to be involved in his crusade.

"Then tell me one of your secrets." Oliver compromised. "Tell me something about you that no one else knows. Prove that you're not a complete open book."

Eliza lowered her eyes. After a few moments hesitation, Oliver was sure that he'd won and that everything about her was already out in the open. Then she spoke so softly he almost missed it.

"I lie about my mom."

If there was anything Oliver was expecting, his was not it. "Roy and Felicity said you were in the system?" If she lied about something so big, then who knows what else this girl could be capable of?

"That's true." Eliza clarified. "I was left on the doorstep of an orphanage when I was about 3. And since then I've been bouncing around different foster homes, never staying anywhere for too long. Although not from lack of trying."

"Then what do you lie about?"

"I always tell people that I don't remember my parents and for the most part that's true. I was too young when we were separated to have any real memories. But I do remember certain things. I don't remember their faces but I remember my mom's red hair always smelled like strawberries and I remember my being thrown up in the air and spun around by my dad. I remember being part of a family. Being loved." As she spoke about her parents, Eliza started to tear up. The emotion in her voice was even starting to get to Oliver, breaking through his shell bit by bit. "That's the only thing that seemed real sometimes. That I was loved. Someone cared about me, even if they weren't around anymore."

"Then how did you end up at that orphanage?" Oliver softly asked.

Eliza shook her head and smiled sadly through her tears. "I don't know. I don't remember if something happened to them but I know they didn't abandon me. They loved me too much. They had to," she insisted, seemingly more to herself than to Oliver. "It's the one thing I remember. The one thing that kept me from sinking into the darkness and lack of hope that can overtake kids in the foster system." Oliver reached out to place a comforting hand on her arm. She smiled at him in thanks. "I think…" She took a deep breath. "I think I was taken from them."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"It's the only thing that makes sense. If something had happened to them then why wouldn't there be any record of it? A few years ago I researched for the deaths of couples near the same time and place where I was found and nothing. And if something did happen, then how did I get put in the system? Didn't I have relatives or family friends that they could have placed me with? Even if they couldn't take care of me, why wouldn't they at least try to keep in touch? The only thing that makes sense is that I was taken from them and traveled far enough away that they wouldn't think to look for me there."

"Eliza, I'm not sure-" Oliver started.

"That I should keep hoping for some amazing reunion with a family who I might be completely wrong about? That I should keep living in a fantasy where I had a family who loved me once upon a time?" She gave him a desperate look. "That's why I never told anyone. I knew they'd think I was crazy and try to convince me to give it up but…I can't. I can't accept that no one ever cared about me."

Oliver took a deep breath. By the time he exhaled, he had made his decision about Eliza. "Whether someone _used to_ care about you doesn't matter." He told her firmly. She looked up at him in shock and he continued. "Because you _obviously_ have many people who care about you now." He smiled to himself and rolled his eyes. "No one shuts up about you, actually. Felicity, Digg and Lyla are always gushing about how sweet and funny you are and how great you are with the baby. You've got Roy wrapped around your finger." At this she blushed. "Even Cisco and Caitlin keep calling me to ask when you're going to visit Central City." After hearing about their meeting, Oliver had called Barry get some insight into Eliza. His friend had acted a bit strange, making it clear he liked Eliza and that she could be trusted but showed no interest (reluctance, even) in seeing her again. When Oliver had asked about it Barry had simply said that Eliza reminded him of someone he'd known a long time ago. Oliver didn't question him further.

Eliza didn't even catch that Barry wasn't on the list of people you loved her after knowing her less than a month. Oliver almost laughed at how her eyes widened with each name. "And now Thea's under your spell. I'm sure she'll start talking about how great you are as soon as you leave. Then Sin will start singing your praises after meeting you tomorrow. My point is that you have people here and now that care. And that's why I'm going to let you come to the foundry tomorrow night."

"Seriously?" Eliza practically squealed. She immediately straightened her posture and corrected herself very seriously. "What I meant is that I would love to come to the Arrow Cave tomorrow."

He raised an eyebrow. "We don't call it that."

She gave him a look. "You may not but everyone else does. You might want to get used to it."

Oliver let out a soft chuckle at that. "I probably should." They both stood and Oliver walked her to toward the door. "You have a ride back to Felicity's right? How'd you get here?"

"I walked from Lyla and Digg's."

"What? That's more than fifteen blocks! You can't walk that far alone at night."

"Aww already starting to worry about me?" Eliza teased. "I was fine, it was still light out and I walk about that to get there from Felicity's every day." Oliver was going to start in on the safety talk he'd given Thea a thousand times about walking through the Glades when she added, "But if I makes you feel better I can call Roy to pick me up."

Oliver nodded in approval. Just before walking away to call Roy, Eliza stepped toward him and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you for trusting me." She said gratefully. "I promise you won't regret it." Oliver watched as she skipped away to call Roy, thinking to himself that letting this girl in might not be so bad after all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! So sorry for the ridiculous wait. Life and schoolwork got in the way, as per usual. Gonna try my best to post as steadily as I can but I'm not going to make any promises I can't keep, especially with finals coming up in a couple of weeks. Point is, I'm not giving up on this story anytime soon. Thanks so much to everyone who as commented and PMed me encouraging me to update and continue the story. No need to worry…Eliza's adventures are far from over! Enjoy!**

**And the song Eliza is singing is "Cassiopeia" by Sara Bareilles. It's amazing and one of my favorites so please check it out!**

**Also shout out to FanficFan920 for being the best sounding board for idea bouncing and the constant bugging for updates! I need it to keep me focused. Keep an eye on his account for a possible collab in a few weeks! I'll give you guys some more info when we start writing! **

**Chapter 8:**

After a successful lunch with Thea and Sin I made my way back to the Diggle family's apartment to watch Sara for the rest of the afternoon.

However, when I got there Lyla was waiting for me, sitting practically at the edge of her seat. As soon as she saw me she jumped up. "Eliza! I'm so glad you're back. I've got something to show you."

"Umm, ok?" I watched as Lyla darted into her and Digg's bedroom and pulled out an acoustic guitar. She grinned devilishly as she held it out in front of her. I was immediately wary. "Lyla…"

"Before you say anything you should know that Johnny's had this old thing for years." Lyla said, thrusting the guitar into my hands. It was beautiful, an older design but barely used.

"Digg plays?" I asked, fiddling with the strings.

Lyla rolled her eyes. "No, he's had it for years. Kept saying he'd learn when he got a chance but hasn't done anything about it. I've been trying to get rid of it for months. Really you'd be doing us a favor by taking this off our hands."

"Lyla, I couldn't-"

"Please," Lyla grabbed my hand, begging me with her eyes to say yes. "At least play me something."

I sighed dramatically and sat on the couch, pulling the guitar onto my lap. Lyla grinned wickedly and went to sit across from me when Sara started crying from her room. Now Lyla sighed. "Baby's awake. Let me grab her and then you're playing us both a song." I laughed softly as she hurried away to get Sara. I heard her talking softly to the baby as I carefully tuned the guitar as well as I could by ear. They came in and sat down just as I was beginning to play the first few chords.

"_Come in close, now it's time to tell the story  
Long ago, and so many years before we  
Ever were, ever dreamed we even could be  
There was her and her very first heartbeat"_

I dropped one hand to Sara's belly and tickled her. She giggled and reached out to bang on the guitar. I smiled and kept singing.

_"All alone in a corner of the night sky  
Spiral bones of a supernova starlight  
Fell in love with another burning bright  
She dreamed of a way to ignite she said_

_Tonight  
Come on, come on collide  
Break me to pieces I  
I think you're just like heaven  
Why, come on, come on collide  
Let's see what a fire feels like  
I bet it's just like heaven  
Just like heaven  
Just like heaven" _

By the time the chorus was through I was so into it. I'd forgotten how much I loved getting lost in the vibrations of the guitar and the warmth in my throat as I sang. I'd almost forgotten that Sara and Lyla were there until I saw Lyla dancing from her seat with Sara on her lap, happily bouncing and clapping. I laughed and started the next verse.  
_  
"Such a shame nowhere near even a near miss  
Light years away from the hope of being sun-kissed  
Anchored home in her interstellar sea but  
Poor lonely Cassiopeia_

_So she sighs and she burns with desperation  
Learns to cry over love of constellations  
Then a spark from a star shooting too close  
They both smiled "What a day to explode"  
She said_

_Tonight  
Come on, come on collide  
Break me to pieces I  
I think you're just like heaven  
Why, come on, come on collide  
Let's see what a fire feels like  
I bet it's just like heaven  
Just like heaven  
Just like heaven_

_Long ago in a sky built before us  
A supernova grew up to be stardust"_

Lyla cheered at the end clapping Sara's hands together as I caught my breath. It was kind of crazy how much energy playing a single song could take out of me. I supposed it had to do with how I really through everything I had in me everything I sang. Every emotion was poured into the song, good or bad. Thankfully, this time it was the good kind. Singing for Lyla and Sara was an experience so joyful that it was almost palpable.

Another set of hands clapping behind me made me jump. I was relieved to see Digg in the doorway smiling fondly at the scene before him. "Damn, girl. You've been holding out on us. When'd you learn to sing like that?"

"Thanks. Since always, I guess. I've sang for as long as I could remember, whether the people around me liked it or not."

"Don't know how they couldn't with pipes like those." He said as he walked over to Lyla, pressing a kiss to her cheek and scooping the baby off of her lap. He looked back over at me and narrowed his eyes playfully. "Is that my guitar?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. Lyla was letting me borrow it but I'll just put it back-"

Digg chuckled. "I'm teasing. You play it better than I ever could. You should keep it."

"No, I couldn't-"

"Yes you could. Just give me a shout-out when you win your first Grammy."

I squealed and jumped up, hugging Digg and practically squished Sara in between us. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Your welcome. Now stop flattening my daughter."

…

I'll be honest. I was terrified to walk into the foundry that night. After dinner with the Diggles (Lyla insisted, claiming Oliver getting his head out of his ass was a special occasion that warranted celebration. Plus, her newfound maternal instincts wouldn't send me to do super-secret vigilante business on an empty stomach.), Digg drove with me to Verdant.

I sat in Digg's passenger seat as we cruised closer to Verdant, tapping my foot as I went through all possible scenarios in my head. What if Oliver changed his mind and didn't want my help? What if I couldn't help at all? What if I told them something that turned out to be wrong and got someone hurt? There were way too many possibilities and I was more worried than ever that I would screw something up, making Oliver regret trusting me. And if Oliver didn't trust me then who knows what could happen? Maybe he'll want the team to stay away from me or even try to send me away from Starling so I wouldn't endanger them.

"Stop thinking so much," Dig said, breaking me from my semi-panic. "You're gonna break your own leg if you keep tapping it like that."

"Maybe this wasn't such a great idea," I started. "Maybe-"

"Nope." He cut me off. "No more thinking. Oliver doesn't want to admit it but he needs help. He has no idea what to do about Ra's and frankly the rest of the team misses you. We all got used to having you around those couple weeks and it's too quiet. Especially since Felicity's been so quiet lately with all of the drama with her and Oliver. I think having you around will be good for her. For all of us."

I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding. "She's not doing any better? She's been coming home later and later and pretty much goes straight to bed once she gets back." Since our girls' night of ice cream and sci-fi movies the first night Oliver came back we hadn't talked much and it was very worrying. I'd gotten used to Felicity happily bouncing around the apartment and constantly babbling, so her being so quiet and distant was really strange.

"I noticed the same." Digg confirmed my fears. "She immerses herself in her work and doesn't talk to anyone. Only speaks when spoken to. Not even any quips about Oliver being an ass."

I sighed. "I figured as much." The car stopped as we pulled into the strategically placed parking spot (close enough that we could easily run to it in a hurry but far enough that no one would immediately assume we were going into Verdant).

"And it's not just her that's been acting differently. Roy's been moping around too. Kid only perks up when you text." He chucked softly at my blush and shook his head. "Even Laurel has been more on edge with Oliver, giving him attitude when he tries to order her around. Although that could be her newfound Canary Confidence shining through."

I snickered. "Can Canary Confidence be the official name for her spurts of attitude?"

"Only if you come in and tell her yourself."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I see what you did there." Digg fondly smiled down at me and said nothing. I sighed, sinking further into my seat. I looked up at the man who had somehow become like a father to me. It was hard to believe that I was scared of him that first day we met. "How am I supposed to help them? I don't have powers or training. I'm not a genius or fighter or anything special." I tilted my head back and laughed self pityingly. "I'm just a college student who got trapped in another world. You guys wouldn't have given me a second glance if I hadn't known so much about you."

"Hey." He took my chin and turned my head toward him. "Don't say that. You are part of this team now. You're one of us."

"But I can't-" I protested.

"No." He firmly interrupted. "You don't need to be anything but yourself. If we needed help from some genius or fighter or someone with powers, we would've found one. We need you."

"But what can I do?" I asked timidly. "How am I supposed to help?"

"We just need you to be there. Be our friend." He gave me a steady look. "Think you can handle that?

I smiled and threw my arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. "I can handle that. Thanks Digg."

"You're welcome." We exit the car and he gave me one last side hug before opening the back door to the foundry. "And you know that you can call me John, right?"

I laughed and shook my head. "I didn't realize we'd reached that level," I teased.

Digg-err..._John_…nope too weird. Digg snorted. "Please, we'd reached that level when Lyla started referring to you as our second-born."

I started cracking up. "Shouldn't I be the first born? Considering I was technically, you know, _born first_?"

He smiled in amusement. "Sara will be very confused when we start telling her she's the older sister."

I laughed so hard I snorted. Digg smiled and patiently waited until I calmed down before opening the door to the Arrow Cave. Although it was funny, I was more touched than anything else. Hearing that the Diggles adopted me into their little family just as I'd adopted them made me inexplicably happy.

Before I'd even come down the stairs I was greeted by the clanging of swords. Oliver, Thea and Merlyn were sparring on the mats while Felicity and Laurel stayed by the computer station, consciously ignoring the sword fight. Roy hung back by the punching bag, watching the sparring but not getting involved. He only spoke when he saw me.

"Flowers!" Roy exclaimed as I came downstairs. "What took you so long?" He slung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me toward the computer station, where Felicity was hunched over the keyboard typing furiously while Laurel looked over her shoulder at the monitor. Laurel only glanced up as I came closer, she nodded at me in greeting and then turned back to the screen. I raised an eyebrow at Roy and he just shrugged.

"Ask Broody McBroodson," Felicity grumbled, never looking up from the computer. "He's the one who banished her."

"I don't brood," Oliver grunted while fending off Merlyn's attacks.

"Oh yes you do," Roy and I said at the same time. We looked at each other in surprise. I laughed, while Roy smiled in amusement.

Felicity groaned in frustration, bringing our attention back to her. "Why are these encryptions so difficult?" she muttered. "It's not like I've never broken into the Army's network before." She froze and spun around, waving a finger menacingly. "None of you heard that."

"And is there a particular reason you need to break into the Army's network?" I asked as I skipped away from Roy and towards her, more amused than anything else.

"Caitlin called. The team had a run in with some sleazeball named General Eiling last week and she asked me to see what other sketchy projects he's associated with. But I can't find anything if I can't get past these stupid encryptions!" Her voice rose with every word of the last sentence until she was nearly shouting and jabbing the keyboard so hard I was afraid she'd break it.

I hear the clanging of swords behind me stop and knew everyone was watching Felicity. I took another step toward her and hugged her from behind. She froze and I squeezed her tighter, sensing that what she needed more than anything right then was a hug, and to know someone was there. "Just take a deep breath and let yourself focus. You've got this, none of us are doubting you. Caitlin wouldn't have called if she didn't think you could do this." I heard her exhale deeply and sag against me, one hand coming up to hug me as much as she could from her position over the desk and the other resting on my hands around her middle, squeezing them tightly in thanks before letting go and bringing her hands back to the keyboard. I took a step back and let her work her tech magic. She started typing just as fast but a little less frantically, now with purpose and focus.

While Felicity focused on her work, everyone else seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the aversion of a meltdown. The swordfight resumed with a minor curse of surprise from Oliver, I caught a little smirk from Digg and Roy stepped toward me with a smile, taking my hand and squeezing it in thanks for being there for his friend. I squeezed back and smiled back at him but we jumped apart in surprise when Felicity suddenly exclaimed "YES!" and threw a fist in the air in victory.

She jumped out of her seat and gave me a real hug. "Thanks, El. You're the best fake cousin ever. And your hugs might just be magic." As quickly as she'd jumped up she let go and sat back down, combing through the information on the screen in front of her. I grinned, although we made jokes about our fake relationship, she really had become like a sister to me. Within a few weeks in the world I'd gained more family than years in my own world. Whoever had sent me here only mattered so I'd know where to send the fruit basket.

I'd been so focused on Felicity that I hadn't even registered what she'd said earlier. "Wait Eiling was last week?"

"Yeah, why?"

If Ronnie and Stein had gotten away from Eiling last week that meant Mark Mardon was coming back this week. The Mark Mardon episode is the time travel one meaning Cisco is going to find out about Wells! Yes, Barry fixed things in the episode but what if something changes? Cisco could die for real because of me. I had to help.

"I need to get to Central City."

"What? Why?" Roy asked.

"Is someone in trouble?" Oliver jumped in.

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know." I paced around the room in my panic. "Someone got really hurt on the show but then they were accidentally saved but what if I screwed something up by being here and they aren't saved? I need to get there and help."

"Then go." Oliver stated simply. "Take care of what you need to take care of. It sounds more urgent than anything you'd be doing here."

"But-"

"Eliza." Oliver interrupted. "You wanted to join this team to help people right?" I nodded. "Well the best way for you to do that right now is to go to Central City. You'll still be welcome here when you come back."

I wasn't sure I believed him. What if he changed his mind while I was in Central? "Promise?"

Oliver smiled softly and nodded. "Promise."

I nodded. "Ok then. Who can drive me to the train station?"


End file.
